Temporary Residence
by Lindaloo.kgo
Summary: Bella's parents die when she is 13, putting her new home under the discretion of foster care. Now 17, she escapes from her current foster home with an abusive, alcoholic father, and is sent to live with Dr. Cullen and his family. When her old abuser comes back for her, can they keep her from harm's reach, or will they be too late? Slightly OOC. T for language and content. COMPLETE.
1. A Dying Fire

**New story! Sorry about putting my other story on hiatus until further notice or adoption, but it had to be done. I hope my story will suck you in like I have seen other stories do to myself, and please, compliments, advice, and constructive criticism welcome!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own this "Sweet Lemon" lip butter from Bath & Body Works that tastes like bananas. Oh, and that bastard Damien is mine, although sometimes I wish he would do us all a favor and go die in a hole.**

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_He _would be coming home soon. And as much as I hated to admit it, I was scared. I was certain he would have ended my life the night before, had he not passed out on the floor, drunk enough to not know what he was doing to me. Usually if he wasn't drunk, he would be satisfied with the occasional slap, or verbal abuse.

Last night it had gone too far, too long.

He had come home from the local bar around midnight, throwing his keys on the table and kicking back in a chair, most likely finishing a beer. It was a wonder he hadn't been caught drunk driving or crashed into a tree. And he had long since acquired the skill of speaking without slurring when he was drunk, which was only learned so he could frolic in society without being questioned or stopped.

"Honey," he had yelled. "I'm home!"

He had been talking to me, of course, taunting me. I had long since learned to keep quiet, in hopes he would think I was asleep and skip that night's beating.

But this time, I hadn't been so lucky.

He had barged into the room, not bothering to knock, and in a sickly sweet voice had said, "What do you want to do today?" I kept my mouth shut, knowing my answer would have angered him more than my silence. Besides, that sentence sounded so awkward it didn't deserve an answer.

He had grabbed me by the front of my shirt, pulling me up two inches off the floor, and said menacingly, "Did you hear me? _I asked you what you wanted to do today_." I had remained silent, intent on getting it over with. It helped if he was angrier by the time he started. That way he would expend his energy quickly, instead of dragging it out longer than necessary. Not that any of this was necessary in the first place, but I would rather it be more painful and it be over quickly, than be in pain eternally.

He had thrown me to the floor, where I slumped against the wall. I felt his fist connect with my face, and I winced but didn't make any noise, as it would only egg him on. He grabbed my arm and squeezed harshly, while whispering crude things in my ear.

"You're getting what you deserve, bitch." he had said, walking out of the room, although I knew he wasn't finished with me yet. He returned with a poker used to move ashes around in a dying fire, glowing red-hot at the end. This was new. He had never burned me before. I suppose he would have gotten tired of his old tricks after a while, but this would cause permanent damage. He had never scarred me before, not for life.

That's what I was. A dying fire.

He had walked forward, smiling maniacally. I closed my eyes, not wanting to know when it was about to touch me, like getting a shot. Suddenly, pain pierced my upper arm and a silent tear rolled down my cheek. He had removed the poker from my arm, but the pain was still there. I could see him getting tired, too. Maybe if I slowed him down, he would go to bed before hurting me any more.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Because you are an ignorant little brat. And you disgusting children need to know what it's like."

I didn't get to ask what _what_ was like, because he pressed the poker to my arm again, right under the other burn. I cried out, unable to stay quiet any longer. I opened my eyes to see him looking at me with an idiotic grin on his face, and he staggered. He reached out with the poker to press it to my face, but before he could touch me, he had fallen to the floor, having fallen asleep.

Now he was about to come home again. This was the only time he abused me, at night, after he came home drunk. I didn't go to school, obviously, since I wouldn't have been able to cover up all of the marks he had left on me. I hadn't gone to school since I had been thrust into this horrible situation two and a half months ago, after my last foster parents had gotten into a bad fight, and the neighbors had heard and someone called the police. The only reason I was still in this place was because my foster father, Damien, had a completely different face in public. He was courteous and pleasant, even to strangers, and was a well-respected man. After his ex-wife had finally gathered up enough courage to leave him, he had no outlet for his anger, and used his position in society to get a foster child.

That would be me.

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**Review! Whatcha think?**


	2. Escape

**Just to clarify, most of last chapter was a flashback. I already have some reviews, and I'm surprised anybody has already seen my 'fic, since I uploaded the first chapter just a few hours ago. But that is ****_also_**** why I am uploading the second chapter so quickly! Toodles!**

**Disclaimer: Who thinks we should go beat Damien up for intruding in the world of Twilight(which, sadly enough, I do not own)?!**

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I didn't know if it would ever end. Whenever someone asked where I was, he would say I was sick or too shy to come out of the house. The last time I had been outside was on my birthday, two weeks after I had come here, September 13th.

He had let me sit in the yard for half an hour, before my attempt to run away when I had thought he wasn't watching. Ever since my failed attempt, he locked the doors whenever he left.

I got up and opened my bedroom door, poking my head out to make sure he hadn't come home while I wasn't paying attention. Seeing the coast was clear, I walked through the living room to get to the kitchen, where I opened the refrigerator. There was barely anything in there, since he was almost never home. Beer, an orange, some sliced cheese, lunch meat.

I picked the orange, opting for a healthier choice than american cheese and sliced ham, and a more legal choice than beer. I peeled the orange, and began eating. Just for the heck of it, I walked over to the door and tried the knob.

But the knob turned. My eyes widened in shock, and I closed the door and reopened it to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. It opened again. I stepped forward, out of the house and into the light. There were people. There were cars driving by, and kids playing on swings in their yards.

I ran back inside, eager for my chance to escape. I found a duffel bag, dumping the contents of it onto the floor, and ran around my room, gathering my few belongings. A few changes of clothes, my collection of paper clips(which Damien would throw on the floor around the house whenever he had one holding a pile of paperwork together), and my locket.

I packed the clothes because I didn't know where I was going, and how long it would be until I got to a police department, or a woman's shelter, or just somewhere I could spend the night. I took the paper clips because it was the only memory I had of this place that wasn't tainted with bad emotions, and I had made a habit of keeping something from every home I had lived in to remind me of it, good or bad. And in the locket were pictures of me and my mom and dad.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and looked out the window. The sun was setting, turning the sky multiple shades of red and pink. It was a Tuesday, so Damien would be home in 30 minutes or less. He didn't get very drunk in the middle of the week, since he had work the next day. He never worked on the weekends. Lucky me.

I pulled away from the window and did a last sweep of the house, looking for anything that would hint I had left before he actually went to my room. I found nothing, so I went to stand in front of the door.

I was finally going to be free. Away from this horrid place, away from the abuse and the constant torrid smell of nicotine. I suddenly felt energized.

I ran across the lawn, skipping and laughing. People were staring at me, but I didn't care. I suppose it was because I was some strange person no one had ever seen before, running out of Damien Chace's house. I might have cared if they could see my bruises, but I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, and my face was mostly fine. The only thing on my face was a small scar above my eyebrow, which he gifted to me a few days ago. It would disappear eventually.

I slowed down after a few minutes, and stopped to think. Where could I go? I knew what he had done to me was highly illegal, and the police would be the best idea, but I didn't know if they would find him. He had a way of disappearing. But would a woman's shelter take me in? Everyone knew who I was around here, even if they hadn't seen me. And they would know it was me because of the unfamiliar face. So I couldn't go to the shelter. And even if they couldn't find Damien, what was the worst that could happen?

I started walking again, faster and with purpose this time, towards town. I passed a few signs, which meant I was getting closer. Once I started going past small stores, I started to jog. Damien would be almost home now, and once he found that I wasn't there he would be in a rage.

I stopped in front of the police station. Looking at the tall building, I wondered if I could convince them how horrible Damien really was without showing them the full extent of my scars and bruises. Deciding that I might as well get it over with, I started up the steps. Before I reached the door, though, I passed a mirror set into the outside of the building, and stopped to look at myself.

I was deathly pale, and skinnier than I thought was normal for a sixteen year old girl. I had large bags underneath my brown eyes, and my hair was messy, having not been brushed for weeks. _He_ hadn't provided me with much other than clothes, a bathroom, and sometimes food.

I pushed open the door to the building, and a police officer looked up at me from behind a desk, presumably doing paperwork. He smiled politely and said, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," I replied hoarsely, before clearing my throat and saying again, "Yes. I need help."

"With what? Do you need directions somewhere?"

"No, I-I need to report something about Damien Chace."

His expression turned troubled. "What has he done?"

"I am-was-his foster child, and he...he was abusive."

The officer's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Are you sure? Mr. Chace has always been a model citizen..."

I sighed. This wouldn't be as easy as I had hoped. I took a few steps toward him, dropping my bag on the ground. I slowly pulled up the sleeve of my shirt, exposing the bruises he had made last night but not far enough to show the burns.

His mouth fell open in surprise, before the lines around his eyes tightened, and he took out a cell phone. He dialed, and put the phone up to his ear. Someone said hello on the other end.

"I need you to come down to the station. We have a problem." he said, with a grim set to his face.

I heard the warble of someone speaking, and the officer closed his phone.

He turned back to me and held his hand out. "I'm Greg, by the way."

I tugged my sleeve back down over my arm and shook his hand. "Bella."


	3. Drifting

**Chapter 3! Yes, I know this is three chapters in the last ten hours, but I'm way better at writing AU than regular Twilight universe, and I'm so excited about this new story that I can't contain myself! That's a good thing, right?!I need more cookies...you know, since reviews are cookies...now I'm hungry. I need a doughnut. The Cullens will come into the story next chapter! Pinkie promise!**

**Disclaimer: -Bella is sitting on a bench at the police station, waiting to be picked up by the foster home lady-**

**Bella:What?! I thought I got to leave ****_this_**** chapter!**

**Me: Sorry, but some things need to be cleared up first. Does it help if you get to leave at the very beginning of the next chapter?**

**Bella: No! -Bella pounces on poor ole me and pulls my hair-**

**Me: Ow! Now this has gone ****_too far_****!**

**-Bella bitch slaps me-**

**Me: Well f*** you too!**

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Greg and I were still standing in the station when another man arrived about ten minutes later. He had dark brown hair with a bald spot in the middle. He looked to be about 40, and had the beer gut to prove it.

The man walked toward us, and when he got close enough he stopped and held out his hand for me to shake. I shook it, and told him my name.

"Nick," he replied.

Greg said,"We have a problem. Bella just got here from Damien Chace's house, and from the looks of it she ran away. By now he'll be looking for her, and she can't go back."

"Why not?"

Greg looked at me, and I nodded, pulling up the opposite sleeve this time, to show Nick the marks. He inhaled a sharp breath when he saw the bruises and scars on my arm, from Damien squeezing too hard, or cutting me with glass from broken beer bottles.

"He did this to you?" Nick's voice was quiet and controlled, although I could sense confusion and apprehension bubbling under the surface. "We need to call child services, and we need to call Damien and get him down here."

I didn't want to be around Damien, not for the rest of my life. I felt my eyes widen, and a shuddered. Greg noticed, and he said, "I don't think we should bring him in until she's long gone."

Nick nodded, saying, "Then we'll call child services tonight and see if there are any families asking for a child, although it's unlikely." he turned to me. "If there are, you can go home with them either tomorrow or the day after, depending on when they can pick you up. You'll be shipped off to a foster home until they can find someone to take you, and the nearest one is in Seattle. I'll go make that call right now."

He walked around us, and I turned to watch him go into one of the offices, but then Greg was behind me. I turned so I had my back to the wall, and I could watch the whole room. In hindsight, I suppose I wouldn't have liked men all that much, since I had just been abused by one for almost three months. I was just then realizing I was having insecurities about these men, who were trying to help me.

_Get a grip, Bella,_ I thought to myself, knowing I was being ridiculous. But Greg was standing there studying me, like Damien used to when trying to decide how to torture me that time. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. Greg looked like he wanted to help, but either didn't know how or felt uncomfortable.

Nick came back out of the office. "Someone will be around to pick you up in half an hour, they're leaving now. Then you'll go to the foster home in Seattle, where your new family can get you."

"My new family?"

"Yeah, I think their name was Cullen. A doctor and his wife, and five kids, I believe. All adopted, and about your age."

Too bad none of them would understand.

Greg and Nick were staying until I was gone, so I wandered over to a bench and sat down. Taking out my locket, I opened it and looked at the picture of my mother and father. Could I ever be that happy again? My eyes wandered to the picture of myself, and I noticed the short sleeves. I would probably never be able to wear a shirt like that again, if the burn scars truly were for life. I had to hide the proof, or everyone would run away from me. They would think I was a monster, origins unknown. Sometimes, beauty is only skin deep.

I heard the officers talking on the other side of the room.

"...and apparently they asked for her specifically. They called a few days ago and asked if Isabella Swan was in the home right now, but they had to tell them she wasn't. So they knew the Cullens would take her. Called them right away on the other line, and I could hear someone squealing in the background, like a guinea pig or mouse or somethin'..."

I heard a car pull up outside, and a few seconds later a car door open and close. Someone pushed open the front door, and crossed the room to Greg and Nick.

"I'm here to pick up Isabella Swan?"


	4. Answers

I stashed my locket inside of my bag and stood up, ready to go. Greg pointed over at me, and the woman turned around and smiled patronizingly. I walked over, and once I got to her she held out her hand for me to shake. What is it with these people and hand shakes?

Once we were done with the introductions, I smiled apologetically at Greg and Nick, and waved goodbye. "Thanks for the help,"

"Anytime, but hopefully not too often. Come visit sometime!" Greg said, before I was dragged out to the car and put in the passenger seat. The woman turned the key in the ignition, and the engine rumbled. "I'm going to ask you some questions, Bella, and you need to answer them truthfully. Can you do that?" she said, sliding a glance at me in the rearview mirror. The streetlights had come on, and we turned onto the highway.

"Yes."

"I understand Damien Chace was abusive?"

"Yes."

"How did he abuse you?"

"It started with verbal and a little physical, like an occasional hit. Then he started coming into my room after getting back from the bar, and abusing me, sometimes with glass or knives, but usually only throwing me around or hitting me. Just last night he used a fire poker on my arm, something he'd never done before."

She was silent for a moment, and I imagined she was going through the facts in her head.

"How long, when did it start?"

"A few days after I first got to his house. He was never exactly on track, but it was okay for a few days, before he started. He's been doing it ever since."

"Did he ever..._do_ anything to you?"

I wasn't expecting that question. "No. If he had tried, I would have fought back. I would've kicked that bastard's ass." And it was true. There was no way I was going to give him that part of me. That was almost the only thing I would have fought for. There was no way I would have let him rape me.

"What did he do during the day?"

"When he woke up in the morning, he would drink some beer, then leave for work after locking the front door so I couldn't leave. He would go to work, go to the bar, and come home, drunk as the skunk he is. He would sit at the table and finish off a drink or two, then come into my room."

"What did he give you to wear or use?"

"I had two or three different outfits, and a mattress on the floor with some sheets on it."

"What did you have available for food?"

"Most of the time there was nothing. Some beer in the fridge and random things. I had an orange that I found in the fridge before I escaped. There was sometimes stuff for a sandwich, like there was when I left, or cereal."

"On a scale of one to ten, how many marks did he leave on you?"

Did she mean mentally or physically? I was sure it would be awhile before I was comfortable alone in a room with a man. And I had bruises and scars everywhere. He had never broken a bone, and I assumed it was because it would ruin his fun, but for that, I was thankful. "Nine."

She grimaced. It seemed like the people around here didn't take kindly to beings like Damien Chace, once they knew who he really was.

She turned into a driveway, and I looked out at the front porch, which was illuminated by a light above the door. If the rest of the house was proportionate to the porch, that must have been a huge house. A victorian mansion.

When we climbed out of the car, a woman in a long, flowing skirt and a black T-shirt stepped out of the house and onto the porch. She was rather large, but being near her made me feel like a little kid again. She had a motherly aura.

"Hello, Melissa." the woman who had driven me here said, greeting the large woman on the porch.

"Would you like to stay for a while, Neshaeida?"

"No thanks, I have to go do some paperwork. See you next week!" With that, Neshaeida got back into her car and drove off.

The woman, Melissa, led me inside. "I know you just got here, but are you ready to leave?" she asked, eyes twinkling.

"Excuse me?"

"Your new family is already here. They had time to come and get you tonight, so they've been waiting in the dining room. You can go home with them now. And it'll save me a lot of paperwork." she said, winking.

I followed her through the maze of a house to the dining room, where the Cullens would be waiting. Suddenly, I was nervous. What if they saw me, and ran away like any sensible person would? I pulled the ends of my sleeves over my hands, and adjusted my clothing to cover as much of me as possible. Melissa held a door open for me, and I stepped through.

Inside that room were the seven most beautiful people I had ever seen.

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**Okay, I know, fourth chapter in one day. Don't hate me! It's not my fault! Just, leave me a cookie, since reviews are cookies, before you shun me.**

**~Lin**


	5. First Meeting

**Yay, another chapter! Sorry. I'm a ****_teensy_**** bit hyper today. I just hope it doesn't show in my work.**

**Disclaimer: When the lady got here, they dragged Bella away, so I'm safe for now. But pretty soon, I'll have to go watch over her at the Cullen's house...*shudder***

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I was hopeless. These people who wanted me would abandon me, as soon as they saw the real me. I was naturally clumsy, where I could tell just by them standing that they were inhumanly graceful. They were pale, a shade lighter than me, and all of them were muscular, even the girls. They all probably played sports, whereas I tripped over my own feet while walking if I wasn't paying attention. They were all beautiful, and I didn't even want to think about myself on that aspect. I felt like an ugly duckling compared to them.

A man with blonde hair and golden eyes stepped forward. He looked older than the others, so I assumed he was the father. "I'm Carlisle, and this is my family." he said, gesturing to everyone behind him. He held out his hand for me to shake, and I almost didn't take it. But I decided if I wanted these people to keep me, I had to be polite.

Shaking his hand wasn't annoying. It was intriguing, actually. His skin was colder than ice, and rock hard. His grip was gentle, as if he knew I was uncomfortable and he was trying to reassure me. Him, I wasn't afraid of. He seemed like someone who I could talk to, who wouldn't hurt me.

A girl with spiky black hair bounced up and hugged me. She wasn't as gentle as Carlisle in her excitement, and it hurt when she squeezed my arms. I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Easy, Alice," Carlisle said.

She held me at arms' length for a second, and then her golden eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"It's...it's fine," I said, taking a deep breath. I smiled weakly, and said, "I'm used to worse."

Everyone frowned. A blonde girl, even prettier than the rest, stepped up to the left of Alice and smiled at me. "I'm Rosalie, but you can call me Rose. I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

A particularly muscular man shoved Rosalie and Alice out of the way, and they glared at him.

"I'm Emmett," he said loudly, grinning like an idiot. "You're going to be the best little sister ever!"

I flinched, taking a step back from where Emmett stood, and his face fell. His voice was loud, like Damien yelling at me, and Damien hadn't exactly been a scrawny man. "Sorry," I said. "I just need to get used to it."

Rosalie had her hand on Emmett's arm, and he looked heartbroken. "Emmett," I said, attempting to smile. "You just took me by surprise. It's okay."

His face broke out into a wide grin. Quick recovery time.

A boy with honey-blonde hair came up to me and held out his hand for me to shake. I took his hand cautiously, and shook it. It was exactly the same as Carlisle's. I assumed all of their hands would be like that. "I'm Jasper," the boy said, with a slight southern drawl. He also had golden eyes.

A woman with caramel hair and a heart shaped face, who had been holding Carlisle's hand while the others introduced themselves, hugged me. "I'm Esme, and I hope you'll like living with us. We already have a room made up for you, and I'm sure Alice will take you shopping for clothes as soon as possible." she said, smiling. Alice started jumping up and down.

Only one person was left. A bronze-haired boy who was grinning at me, but had a confused look in his eyes. He walked gracefully across the room towards me, stopping a few feet away. I was perfectly fine with that. It meant I didn't have to be too close to him, and that I could study him without him noticing. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

He had an angular face, and his grin was amazing. It was slightly lopsided, and it took my breath away. He was even more beautiful up close.

I realized everyone was watching me, and could see that I was staring at the bronze-haired boy. I looked at the floor, blushing.

"This is Edward." Carlisle said, sounding as if he was confused.

"Hello," Edward said quietly. He had the voice of an angel.

"Hello." I replied, still looking at the floor.

When I looked up, everyone was still watching me.

"Well," Carlisle said, breaking the silence. "I suppose we should go home, so Isabella can rest." We all filed out the door and I followed them, with Alice skipping along next to me. When we got out of the house and were standing in front of their cars, I realized I had no idea who I would be riding with.

"Um, Alice? Who am I supposed to..."

"Oh, you'll be riding with Rosalie, Esme, and I, while the boys ride in the other two cars. We're driving the red BMW." I gasped. I had no idea these people were rich! I thought about it, and realized they were all wearing designer clothes when I saw them in the dining room. I wondered what their house looked like.

Suddenly, Alice laughed, like she knew why I was so surprised. "I'll sit in the back with you, Bella, and Rosalie will drive."

I looked around in the dim light for the others. Edward and Carlisle were getting into a silver car, and it looked like a Volvo. Emmett and Jasper had climbed into a Jeep that looked like it would live through a hurricane.

I walked slowly over to the red BMW, and opened the door, almost afraid to get in. I didn't want to get the seats dirty. Alice said, "Just climb in. We can wash the seats later."

I complied, settling into the seat while Alice slid in next to me. Rosalie climbed into the front seat and cranked the engine over, while Esme sat in the passenger seat.

"So," Alice said. "Do you like shopping?"


	6. Alice's Visions

**This is the chapter that explains a lot about the Cullen's and Bella's relationship in this story, and also the longest one so far! Read!**

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**Alice's****POV-Three days previous**

I had just gotten home from a shopping trip, and Rosalie and I were walking through the door with some of our bags, laughing that the boys would have to collect the fruits of our efforts from the car, when I suddenly had a vision.

There was a girl, about my human age, that was huddled in the corner of a room. She was almost as pale as one of us, and skinny enough that I could see her ribs through her shirt. I heard a door open and shut somewhere nearby, and the girl flinched. There was some stomping around in the other room, and I heard footsteps coming closer. "Sunday," the girl whispered.

The door to the room opened and slammed into the wall, and a burly man stormed in. He stood back for a moment, looking at her with his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I had a bad day today. Wanna hear about it?" he growled, stepping forward.

The girl sat against the wall, unmoving.

"_Isabella_, I asked you a question."

"_Damien,_ I don't give a rat's ass." she replied, still huddled in the corner, her eyes tight.

He took another step forward and punched her in the face. Her head snapped to the side, and a small trickle of blood began to flow from her forehead. She didn't make a sound, but sat there with her eyes closed as if waiting for it to end. He kicked her in the stomach, and she winced and put her arm over the area where she was hit.

Damien turned around for a moment to face the wall, and I saw his face. He had a malicious grin displayed upon it, and his eyes were crazy. He was slouching, though, and I couldn't see a reason why. He turned back to Isabella, and said, "I'll be back."

He walked haggardly out of the room, and the girl doubled over, clutching her sides. Most of the blood on her face had congealed. When she heard him coming, she quickly sat back up against the wall. Damien came back into the room with a beer bottle that was almost empty. He took a swig from the bottle, finishing it off, and I realized he was drunk.

Isabella looked as if she wanted to crawl though the wall, and I soon found out why. Damien threw the bottle against the wall, where it shattered, and pieces of glass littered the floor. He chose a particularly large piece, and held it up menacingly, looking at it. It must have been up to par, because he took a step towards the frail girl. "Isabella Swan, you need to learn a lesson."

I came back to the present, and Jasper was holding me at arms' length, searching my eyes. He seemed to know I was back, because he relaxed visibly.

Edward, though, looked upset. It was probably because he had seen my vision. His parents had raised him to treat ladies with respect and courtesy, and that man was the exact opposite of what his moral code said a man should be.

"I'm fine, Jasper, nothing's wrong. Just a random vision." But I knew it wasn't random. I didn't _have_ random visions. Somehow, this event or this girl would effect our futures. I put it in the back of my mind, and left Jasper and Edward downstairs so I could put my clothes in my closet, and think in peace. Rosalie followed me.

"Something I need to know about?" Rosalie asked, eyebrow raised.

"No. Not yet, at least." we separated to our own rooms.

I was putting a shirt on a hanger when I had another vision.

Edward was sitting on the living room couch, with a girl on his lap. It was the same girl as in my other vision, Isabella, though slightly older. She was no longer skinny enough to look unhealthy, and still pale, but not quite as pale as before. She had her arms around his neck, and they were both smiling as Emmett stood next to them with Rosalie, and I was sitting on Jasper's lap on their other side, with Esme and Carlisle sitting next to us.

"Bella, this is why we all love you!" Emmett said.

Isabella, now Bella, grinned, "That's the only reason?"

Edward kissed her, and I gasped, bringing me back to the present once again. Edward finally had a mate! Even if he hadn't met her yet, he would soon. We needed to find information on this girl, get her out of the hands of that monster, and keep her close. Whether that meant finding her a home somewhere in town, or finding her a home here, it didn't matter. We could report Damien to the police, if we could find more on him, like his last name or address.

"Carlisle," I called out, knowing he would hear me, "We need to have a family meeting!"

I heard multiple footsteps in the dining room, so I ran downstairs and joined them. Esme and Carlisle were there, and Emmett was walking in, presumably in between trips for bags. Rosalie walked in right behind him, and a few seconds later Edward and Jasper came in and sat down, Jasper next to me and Edward across from me and one seat down.

Everyone looked confused. Carlisle asked, "Alice?"

I explained the first vision, receiving many grimaces, and Rosalie looked like she could kill. She had once been abused by her husband-to-be, and almost died because of it, so she knew how it felt.

I ended my explanation with, "And I had another vision of Bella living with us, a part of the family."

Rosalie's eyes widened in horror, and she asked, "Does that mean he almost killed her?"

"No, she was human. And it looked like she was a sister or daughter to most of us."

Luckily, no one caught the 'most of us'. I didn't think Edward needed to know she would be his mate until he found out for himself.

I turned to Carlisle."So I think we need to find out who she is, and find a way to get her away from that man, or keep her from ever meeting him. I don't know what we'll do after that, but we'll figure it out."

Carlisle looked like he knew exactly what he would do afterwards, and I had no doubt that he did. I got up, and moved to one of the computers, while I saw Edward, Jasper, and Emmett go out the door to get the rest of the bags from my shopping trip with Rosalie.

I typed in Bella's full name, and I saw a newspaper article from four years ago that looked promising. I clicked on the link, and the headline said that some people had died in a freak accident. I didn't want the details, so I skimmed the article until I found the name I was looking for.

It said that Isabella Marie Swan, daughter of Charlie and Renee swan, had been orphaned in the accident and had no known live relatives. She was going to be put into foster care in Washington.

So Bella probably wasn't that far away from us. We just had to find her. I returned to the search engine and searched for foster homes in Washington. Not specific enough. I tried Seattle, and clicked on the only link that came up. I took my cell phone out and dialed the number on the website in front of me.

Someone picked up on the other end, "Hello?"

"Hi. I have a few questions, if I can ask them." I said, wanting to know who I was dealing with before jumping in feet first.

"Go ahead. I'll be happy to answer them!" the woman on the other end replied.

"Do you keep records of children in the home?"

"Yes, why?

"Is Isabella Swan there at the moment?"


	7. Home

**Chapter, um, 6, right? I already lost track. LOL so...And yeah, always in BPOV unless otherwise mentioned. Super long chapter, I deserve some review cookies for this one! Oh yeah, and in my story, since it's AU and I can do pretty much whatever I want, Bella's blood isn't too much more attractive than anyone else's. I saw that as an almost unnecessary complication in the story, although it added plenty of angst to the storyline.**

**Disclaimer: I don't know how I'm going to get into the Cullens' house. I mean, they have super-sensitive hearing, and I'm not exactly a vampire...or am I?**

**-Breaks down door-**

**Everyone turns to look at me, and pounces.**

**Me: Crap!**

* * *

Rosalie turned onto what I assumed was the Cullens' driveway. It was long, but I could see a white house standing proudly at the end.

Alice had bombarded me with questions the whole ride, and I was laughing by the time we were halfway here. She had asked me about any boyfriends I had in the past, and I had replied with a story about a boy named Cameron who had followed me shamelessly like a puppy, practically stalking me. I had ended that by getting suspended after punching him in the face, with good reason, of course. At the time it had been annoying, but now it was laughable. We were still giggling when we got out of the car, and Esme and Rosalie were now laughing, too.

"I can't...believe...he wrote you a _song_...and performed it...at the school dance," Alice managed to get out between fits of giggles.

"I was so _embarrassed!_" I laughed, "He said my name in the song, and everything, if there was somebody who didn't already know he liked me! And then after, he just sat there with his head down, like he was in some poetry coffee shop or something!" This caused a whole new round of giggles, and by now the boys were looking at all of us and grinning.

Emmett walked over, slinging an arm around Rosalie's shoulders, and asked, "What's so funny?"

I explained the actions of my stalker, and by then everybody had gathered in the middle of the Cullens' driveway. I didn't know about everyone else, but I was freezing my ass off. Alice noticed me shivering, and suggested that we go inside.

Carlisle opened the door, stepping inside and gesturing for me to come in. I got about three steps inside before I stopped short, and I was aware of Edward standing next to me. The inside was just as glamorous as the outside, with a spiral staircase, and from what I could see of the furniture they had most likely hired an interior designer. It was a pristine white, and I worried that just sitting on the couch on a regular day would stain it.

But I probably wouldn't have to worry about staying here long enough, for there to be a day that I could test my theory.

"Come on! Let's go see your room!" Alice said, taking my hand and pulling me upstairs. We walked down a hallway and stopped in front of the the second-to-last door. Alice opened it and dragged me inside, and everybody else drifted in behind us.

The room was huge, bigger than any of the rooms I had ever had in one of my other homes. The color scheme seemed to be dark purple, with purple curtains and wallpaper, and a purple comforter on the bed. A nightstand with a clock was on one side if the bed. There was a beanbag chair in the corner of the room, and two doors on one wall. Presumably one led to a closet, and the other I would explore later.

Suddenly realizing how tired I was, I sat on the edge of the bed. "I love it," I told Alice. "When are we going to go shopping?"

I had never really liked shopping all that much, but I needed new clothes. I didn't hate it, I just didn't see the need to stand in a store for hours, looking at random pieces of clothing, when you could just find something you liked in your price range and buy it.

"How about tomorrow? Er, today?" Alice replied, looking at the clock. "You can sleep now, and when you wake up we can go to the mall."

"Sounds good." I consented, nodding. Alice shooed everyone out of the room, and closed the door behind her. Too tired to get under the covers or change into one of the other outfits I had brought with me, I flopped back onto the bed. I was halfway asleep before I realized what time it was.

_This is normally when Damien would be coming home,_ I thought to myself, dragged back out of sleep. _But I'm safe here, _I argued with myself, _Right?_

* * *

**Edward POV**

I had pulled into the driveway ahead of Rosalie's BMW3 and behind Emmett's monster Jeep. Carlisle and I climbed out of my Volvo, while Emmett and Jasper were getting out of the off-roader. I look over to Bella, and she was laughing with the rest of the girls. I hadn't been able to read her mind, and still wasn't able to, but from reading Alice's thoughts it seemed that she had acquired an unwanted admirer in one of her old schools.

Bella was like an angel when she laughed. Her head was tilted back, and I could hear her musical peals of laughter. Her mahogany hair was beautiful, hanging down her back in messy curls, and I could tell that she was happy in that moment, despite all that she had been through.

I had no idea why I was obsessing over this human girl, but just seeing her happy made me smile. I realized the whole family was smiling also, especially Jasper, who had a goofy grin on his face from the happiness that was no doubt emanating from the girls.

_Leave it to Alice to make Bella feel like a part of the family already, _Jasper thought jovially.

Emmett swaggered over to wear the girls were standing, and wrapped an arm around Rosalie's shoulders. The rest of us followed him to join the group. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Bella explained, "When I was going to Langford High, there was this boy named Cameron that was following me around. He liked me, obviously, and apparently decided the best way to show me his _love_ was to write a song for me-which he then sang at the school formal, embarrassing me enough for two lifetimes, since he actually said my name in the song. And after, he sat there for a while, looking at the ground with his eyes closed, like he was expecting applause or something...the whole room was silent for almost two minutes, and he just got up, walked off the stage, and kissed me on the lips!" I barely contained my growl, and Jasper slid a look at me, although he still had the goofy smile on his face, which made me start laughing with Bella. "And then I gently reminded him, with my fist, that I didn't appreciate him stalking me and he should probably stop." she finished, and I couldn't help but admire this girl's courage. She stood up for herself, and that was before Damien. She must have been tough her whole life, which wasn't all that surprising considering everything she's witnessed or experienced.

She shivered, and Alice said, "Let's go inside. I'm sure you're tired, Bella." I realized that we would have to wait until morning to hear more about this girls life, which was intriguing at worst and riveting at best.

We got inside the house, and Bella stopped a few steps inside the door, mouth agape, looking around the room with wide eyes. I stopped beside her, and Alice tugged on Bella's hand, pulling her upstairs to her room. We all followed, stepping into the room while Bella looked around. She sat on the bed, suddenly looking more tired than usual. "It's beautiful. When can we go shopping?" she asked, surprising me. Some people did not survive Alice's over-the-top shopping trips. But Bella didn't know that yet, since she had just arrived. She barely knew our family. We would have to fix that.

"How about tomorrow?" Alice said, then looked at the clock. _Crap, it's already past midnight. _"Er, today?"

I started playing with a tune in my head, and suddenly Alice was in front of me, pushing me out of the room. I turned to walk out, after sneaking one last glance at the girl on the bed. She suddenly looked weak, almost impossibly skinny, and was almost as pale as a vampire. She also had bags under her eyes like a vampire who hadn't hunted, and I briefly wondered if she _was_ a vampire. But no, I could hear her heartbeat, and I could smell her blood.

Walking into my room, I realized Damien had done those things to her, and felt a wave of anger. How could anyone be so cruel? I know I had seen Alice's vision earlier, but it hadn't mattered as much then. I had felt a pull towards the Bella in the vision, but dismissed it as sadness at the man's behavior. If he had lived in my time, he would have been shunned by society.

I didn't know of any other visions Alice had about Bella, so I wasn't sure what had triggered this chain of events, and my mind wandered back to the pull I had sensed while seeing the vision. I realized I was feeling it now, too. I didn't recognize this feeling, as I had never felt it before. I could feel the tug in my chest, in my heart, whenever I was away from her. I hadn't noticed it in the car, but I knew I must have felt it then, too.

Bella was provoking many unknown and unfamiliar emotions in me. When she had talked about that boy, Cameron, kissing her, I had felt jealousy. And my anger at Damien was stronger than I had ever felt before. And that tug in my chest...was it love?


	8. The Mall

**I couldn't restrain myself...I ended up writing more than one chapter in a day again. And sorry about the details on the shopping, but it was needed so we could find out about Bella's injuries...er...just read about it. And I almost split this one in half, after realizing it was almost twice as long as any of my other chapters. I fixed the multiple mistakes in the last chapter, but couldn't wait to write this chapter. And sorry about the name, I couldn't think of anything better.**

**Disclaimer: I ran away from the Cullens, and I'm hiding in this tree. Emmett laughed like a clown the whole time he was chasing me, while Jasper had this idiotic grin on his face, and Edward's eyes had turned into stars. Oh, and Alice turned into Tinkerbell and ended up ****_flying_**** after me. What else is new?**

* * *

I woke up in the morning, wondering where I was, and who was yelling at me. _Damien, _I thought. But it couldn't be. I was lying in an almost _overly _comfortable bed, under blankets that I was sure had not been covering me last night. Then I remembered the acceptance and hospitality of my new family, and blew out a sigh.

Suddenly, the blanket was in the floor, and Alice was in my face, telling me it was time to get up. I sat up, and looked around her at the clock. Almost noon. I had slept longer than was normal for me. Before, I had always woken up around nine or ten, so I could be awake for as long as possible before Damien got home, while still getting just enough sleep. Lately I hadn't been getting enough, with the beatings becoming more frequent each day.

"Come on, Bella! You need to get ready, so we can _go_!"

I swung my legs over the side of the bed in defeat, and stood up quickly. My vision got fuzzy and turned black around the edges, and my head spun, forcing me to sit on the edge of the bed again. I was holding my head in my hands, waiting for my vision to clear, when a musical voice penetrated the haze. "Bella, are you alright?"

I looked up, seeing Edward standing in the doorway, and Alice looking at me with concern. Edward saw my expression, and took a step forward. "Just a second," I croaked.

After a few seconds more I could see clearly again, and the room had stopped spinning, so I stoop up, more slowly this time. Edward was looking at me with an unfathomable expression, and Alice looked relieved but confused. This was a somewhat regular occurrence for me, ever since I was put under Damien's care. "I must have low blood pressure. I just need to eat something. This happens to me all the time." I explained carefully.

I must not have explained carefully enough, because Edward's eyes narrowed and he frowned. Alice had a grim set to her face, and the air was almost thick enough with tension that I could choke on it. I decided to break the silence by saying, "So, about shopping..." Alice's eyes lit up again.

"You can take a shower and change into some of the clothes you brought with you, and Rosalie and I will do your hair and makeup. There's shampoo and conditioner already in there." she said, pointing to the unidentified door I had seen last night. Edward was still standing in the doorway, eyes narrowed. I picked one of the two outfits I had, and stood there for a minute with Alice, watching him. Abruptly, he turned around and turned left down the hallway, and Alice turned to me and shrugged.

I took that as a sign, and went into the bathroom to shower. There was a bathtub in one corner with jets, and a mirror stretched along the wall opposite the door, with a marble counter and two sinks under it. A shower with a frosted glass door stood in another corner. I merely shook my head, grinning. I was going to have to get used to the extravagance.

I turned the water up too hot for most people's liking, and stepped in, careful to keep my arm out of the scalding water. It burned and stung my skin where the bruises were, but it unknotted my tense muscles.

After I got out, I dressed in a long-sleeved, dark blue scoop neck, with skinny jeans and my ratty old sneakers that were a size too small for my feet. I walked downstairs, where I could hear everyone talking, and they all looked up when I walked in.

"You ready for hair and makeup?" Alice asked, handing me a sandwich and a glass of water.

"Yeah."

Alice went upstairs with Rosalie following her. By the time I got up there, Alice and Rosalie were walking into my room, arms full of makeup, hairspray, bobby pins, a straightening iron, and other things that looked dangerous. I walked in behind them, looking into the bathroom where Alice had dragged a rolling chair in front of the mirror, facing away. I sat in the chair cautiously, as if it could blow up any second.

My sitting in the chair caused many things to happen at once. While Rose yelled that she forgot something, Alice was opening all of her eyeshadows and setting them out on the counter behind me. Rose was there one second and gone the next, reappearing just as suddenly. Alice glared at her, and Rose rolled her eyes, plugging in the straightener.

They lathered, straightened, brushed and styled for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a couple minutes. By the time they were done, I was done with my sandwich. Alice and Rosalie stood back for a moment in the stereotypical thinking pose, one hand holding the other elbow, while the other hand had two fingers crooked underneath the chin. Alice reached out, spinning the chair around so I could see myself. "Voila!" she proclaimed.

I stared at myself in the mirror. Alice had used all natural colors, but I still looked beautiful. I had been plain my whole life, and I had never really found the time or motivation to wear makeup, so this was a new development. When I turned back around, Alice and Rosalie were sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"Do you like it?" Alice asked, shooting up and clapping her hands excitedly.

"I love it!" I said, smiling. "Is Rose coming with us?"

This time, Rosalie spoke, standing up next to Alice. "Yeah. You didn't think I would let Alice have all the fun, did you?"

It was comical how much taller Rosalie was than Alice. She was slightly taller than me, while Alice looked like a midget next to her. The top of her spiky black hair only came up to Rose's shoulder.

I smiled as Alice led the way out of the house and to Rose's bright red BMW. "We would take my car, but it's mostly for show. I don't actually drive it all that much." Alice told me, pointing to a yellow Porsche. _Another_ expensive car? Did they ever run out of money?

We piled into Rose's car, except this time I ended up in the passenger seat and Alice sat in the back.

"So Bella, what's your favorite color? Mine's pink," Alice asked, leaning forward to place her chin on the back of my seat.

"Mine is red," Rosalie stated.

I thought about it for a minute, but realized I didn't have a favorite color. I liked them all, depending on how I felt at the moment. "I don't know. I guess it's depends on my mood."

Alice's eyes widened in disbelief. "What do you mean, you don't have a favorite color? Everybody has a favorite color! Even boys!"

"Well, I have a favorite color, it just changes a lot. Like right now, my favorite color is dark blue, like my shirt."

Alice considered me for a moment. "It looks good on you."

"What?"

"That color, I like it on you. We need to fill your wardrobe with it." she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Abruptly, she changed the subject, as if she had known I was going to protest.

"You're going to _love_ shopping with us, Bella! We'll get you clothes, accessories, some stuff for your room, a bag for school..."

I hadn't been to school for so long, I didn't even realize this would mean I was going back. Of course, I would probably be somewhat behind on the subject matter since I was going into school halfway through the year, but last year before I had lived with Damien, I had been in advanced classes. So, either I would be slightly behind, or I would already know everything the teachers were trying to teach, and be bored as hell.

I looked out the front window, surprised to see that we were already driving through the parking lot, looking for a space to wedge the car. Rosalie found a space halfway down in the second row from the nearest entrance, and turned in quickly.

She shut the car off, locking the doors. We trooped to the nearest entrance, in Macy's, and walked through the door.

Alice went right through, heading for the door out to the hallway where we could get to the rest of the stores. We scrambled after her, rushing to keep up. She was a woman on a mission, walking right past the mall directory.

"Wait for us!" I yelled, and she seemed to break out of a trance, turning around with her arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently.

"Shouldn't we check the directory?" I asked, panting from exertion.

"Please, Bella," Alice replied, grinning. "I know this mall like the back of my own hand."

She turned around, heading into a store to her left, and Rosalie, who seemed just fine, followed. I followed after her, curious as to why Alice was going into a random store. But she knew exactly what she was doing.

Alice picked something off the rack closest to her, and held it up to my chest. "What do you think?" she asked Rosalie.

"I think she needs to try it on. I might look _way _different on her than on the hanger."

So I was ushered into a dressing room. She had picked a navy and gray-striped casual dress with long sleeves, but it stopped just above the knee. I couldn't wear this. It would show the marks on my legs. I opened the door to my dressing room and looked out. "Alice, I can't wear this! It's not long enough!" I hissed.

She suddenly remembered, as she smiled apologetically at her mistake. "That's okay, Bella, we can buy it for later. For stuff like that, just try it on and see if it looks okay. You don't have to show us."

I walked back into the dressing room and closed the door, debating whether or not to try on the dress or just tell Alice it looked good on me. Deciding I might as well get used to it, I stepped into the dress. Surprisingly, it looked good on me. And the bruises on my legs were almost gone! I rolled up the sleeves on the dress, and found that most of my bruises were already fading, except for the fresh injuries from my latest encounter with Damien. I quickly changed back into my regular clothes and stepped out, smiling.

Alice noticed my change in attitude, and was immediately suspicious. "What?"

"The bruises are almost gone!" I whispered, not wanting to alarm anybody in the store.

"You have to show us later, you know. We still need to know what that monster did to you." Rosalie said, suddenly serious.

"I know," I said, handing Alice back the dress. "It looks good. I think we should get it."

TRTRTRTRTRTR

We had been in the mall for hours now, and I swore my feet were going to fall off if I didn't get to rest soon.

As if on cue, Alice looked at her watch, and announced that it was six o' clock, and we had to go home. I assumed she didn't want to eat in the food court or the Arby's drive-thru.

We walked back to the car, stuffed everything into the trunk and the backseat, and climbed into the spots we had occupied on the trip there. There was just enough room for Alice, and the bags were all piled on top of each other next to her. Neither Rose nor I would have fit back there, but Alice was doing just fine.

When Rosalie pulled up to the house, I opened the door, intent on getting out of the car right away. Those damn bags were making me claustrophobic, and Alice had been chatting with no one in particular the whole way, complaining about low-quality eyeshadow, and boys-the 'bane of her existence, except for Jasper, of course'. She especially complained about Emmett and Edward, who always grumbled when she asked them to get the bags from the car, although they knew it was coming every time.

But as I was getting out, the toe of my shoe caught on a ridge used for stepping on when getting into the car, and I promptly fell out, expecting to hit the ground. As a second passed, and nothing happened, I opened my eyes, to see that Edward was holding me in his arms bridal-style. I blushed, and he set me on my feet, chuckling.

"Clumsy, are we?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Shut up," I retorted grudgingly, while he laughed.

Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett had gathered, watching our camaraderie. Alice had her arms crossed, while Rose looked amused. Emmett and Jasper looked like they were going to hold this over our heads for the rest of our lives.

I stalked over to the trunk, which Rose had popped open, and loaded bags onto my arms, trying to carry as many as possible on my right arm, while carrying lighter things on my left, where I had been burned. Soon everyone else was helping, and Rosalie, Alice, and I carried the bags we had inside, leaving the guys to bring in the rest.

"By the way, Bella, you're going to start school again next week, Monday." Alice said, reminding me that we had to pick out an outfit for my first day.

So I had tomorrow, and then the weekend left. I wondered briefly what my family did on normal days, and wandered off to the kitchen, to see if there would be any oranges.


	9. Realization

**TR has more than 1,500 hits! And by the third day! Did you like the E/B fluff in the last chapter? FYI, I have to go shopping, so I apologize for any mistakes made in this chapter, I will fix them ASAP. I also want to thank the people who have taken the time to review my story, and more than once:**

**Faith Bow, jamieannaelisabeth, cbmorefie, aqua-love-angel-13, Dixie.f.9, sujari6, and squirtlepokemon215!**

**Thanks for sticking with me! Bet you guys will love this chapter, even though it's short. Bon appetit!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I'm just building castles in Stephanie Meyers' sandbox. **

* * *

It was my last day before I had to return to school, and at Forks High, which I wasn't all that disappointed about, to tell you the truth. As long as my siblings were there, I knew I would be fine. I already considered Esme and Carlisle my mother and father, respectively. And Alice was a sister and the equivalent of what would be considered my best friend, while Rosalie was also a sister, and somewhat protective of me. Emmett and Jasper were the big brothers I never had, and they were exactly how I would want my brothers to be.

Edward, I wasn't sure about. My relationship with him was complicated, and confusing, to say the least. It often felt like something was missing when I was with him, and the feeling only intensified when we weren't near each other. Most of the time we were together, though, which I was happy about, for reasons unknown. I was still timid around men I didn't know, like on my shopping trip with Alice and Rosalie. A boy with blonde hair that looked to be my age had approached me, saying that I was pretty and he hoped we could see each other sometime. I had grown nervous, wanting to get away from the boy, and had caught Alice's eye in hopes that she would lend a hand in my escape. She had called me over, and told me that the boy went to our school, though she wouldn't tell me who it was.

And on Wednesday, when Edward had caught me, I hadn't felt uncomfortable at all. It had felt right, like I was made to fit into his arms.

Emmett yelled, "You're going down, Jasper!" breaking me out of my thoughts and making me jump about three feet in the air. I was still uncertain about me actually belonging to this family, so it didn't feel right claiming a spot on the couch. Therefore, I was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch where Edward, Alice, and Rosalie were sitting, watching Emmett and Jasper play an Xbox game.

I glared at Alice for a moment when she laughed at my outburst, then settled back against the couch. After we had come home from our shopping trip and everything had been put in its proper place, everyone had interrogated me on Damien. Everything he had done and all the marks he had left on me, I told them about, however reluctantly. They had not run away, like I had anticipated. Instead, my relationship with each of them seemed to have grown stronger.

But I had also noticed strange things about them. I never saw any of them eat, although sometimes someone would leave for a few hours, and their eyes would be different, lighter, when the came back. Their eyes were the strangest color, an mix between orange and brown, the color of topaz. And they were pale, paler than me, and they hadn't been abused, and fatigued by malnutrition.

And there was the thing with Rosalie disappearing and reappearing in a matter of seconds, and Edward catching me. I hadn't seen Emmett, Jasper, or Edward before he had saved my face from a meeting with the ground.

The problem was, I had no idea what they were. Whatever they were, they definitely weren't human. It felt like the answer should be obvious, but I couldn't think of anything. Pushing the thought away until I could think later, without interruption, I turned to watching Emmett and Jasper play.

They were playing a street fighting game, and Emmett was pressing buttons furiously, with the tip of his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration, and for a second I was afraid he was going to crush the controller in his hands. Jasper was calmer than Emmett, but not by much. He was staring intently at the screen, eyes narrowed, when Emmett got a lucky hit in and Jasper's character crumpled to the ground, KO'd.

Emmett stood up, cheering and waving his controller in the air while Jasper glared at him. I burst into laughter, and Jasper turned to look at me. After a moment, he smiled, still looking at me.

Even though everyone else had stopped laughing, I couldn't. By now my sides were hurting, and Jasper's small smile had turned into a goofy grin. Edward was smiling at my predicament, along with Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett.

"Jasper, you might want to stop. I don't think she can breath." Edward suggested, and I immediately stopped laughing, breathing hard. Had Jasper been doing that?

Edward was looking at me in the strangest way, and I couldn't decipher the look in his eyes. It seemed like something along the eyes of adoration.

Suddenly, I realized that everything felt right, and the feeling from earlier, where something had seemed out of place, was gone. I looked at Edward, and suddenly knew that I loved him as more than just a brother or sister. Being here, with him, made everything feel right.

But could he love me back, with my countless imperfections?

* * *

**Leave me a review cookie and I might write the new chapter when I get back!**


	10. Acceptance

**Told you I would write another chapter! Thanks for the cookies! This one will clear a lot of things up for both Edward and Bella, and soon there will be another meeting with the boy from the mall! Oh, and most of the main events in Twilight will happen, although some will be changed to fit my story and make it better.**

* * *

"Get up," Damien ordered me, and kicked me in the side. I was laying on the ground, somewhere green, moist, and..._dirty_. I tasted iron, and spit blood out of my mouth.

"Where...where am I?" I asked hoarsely.

"Well, you definitely aren't with those other people anymore, the ones who _pretended_ to love you." I could tell that, for once, Damien wasn't drunk. He didn't have the usual crazed look I normally saw in his eyes, and his regular saunter seemed straighter, somehow.

What Damien said angered me. The Cullens had shown me nothing but love and acceptance since I had joined their family, welcoming me with open arms. There was no possibility that they had been _pretending_ to love me.

"Wrong," I spat, staring him straight in the eye. "I may not be with them anymore, but they still love me."

I sat straight up in my bed, sweating and gasping for air. Edward was kneeling next to me with his hand held out, as if he had shaken me awake.

"Bella, are you alright? You were saying something about Damien, and..." he trailed off, his eyes sad. It was unlike him to not finish a sentence.

"And?" I said, worried I had said something I might regret. I had always spoken in my sleep, but before now it hadn't mattered, since I had always had my own room. Now, it seemed like I shared my room with everyone else, since they were in here so much.

"And you said we didn't love you." he said, his beautiful voice thick. "Is that what you really think?"

My face broke into an uncontrollable smile, relieved, though it probably looked strange to him. "No, Edward. I know you guys love me. I was just explaining it to someone...who didn't love me quite as much." I said, my smile darkening.

His eyes turned coal black for a moment, and I looked down at my lap. After a few seconds, he said gruffly, "You have to get up for school. I'm sure Alice will want to make you over, and I know she'll be coming to find you in a few seconds if you don't get up." I looked at him, and his eyes were back to normal, although that strange honey color, and he had replaced his frown with a forced smile.

"Edward...I'm fine, really. I can't change what happened in my past, however much I would like to. Damien's come and gone, can't we just forget about him?" I suggested.

His fake smile melted into that lopsided grin of his, and I nearly fell off of the bed. "You're right, Bella. And by the way, you have about three seconds."

I raised an eyebrow, confused. I was about to ask what I had three seconds for, when Alice barged into the room, stopping at the end of the bed, hands on hips and nostrils flaring. "_What _are you_ doing?! _We should be doing your makeup already, and we haven't even picked your outfit! Come _on!_"

She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into my closet, while Edward looked on from behind, amused. She grabbed things off the shelves and hangers, seemingly at random, and shoved them into my arms. She stepped out of the closet, saying menacingly that I had thirty seconds, and closed the door behind her.

I changed quickly, without looking at the clothes, not wanting to know what she had put me in, attempting to make me look more beautiful than I really was. I stepped out just as she was reaching for the doorknob, and she smiled at me, smug.

I rolled my eyes and walked into the bathroom, already understanding that this was going to turn into a daily routine. Rosalie and Alice did the same thing as they had on Wednesday for our shopping trip. That was fine with me, since I didn't think anything else would look good on me at all.

I walked out of the bathroom and turned around to wait for Alice and Rosalie. I realized they were wearing almost the same thing, but in different colors. Alice was wearing a pink skirt and white halter top, with white, strappy sandals. Rose was wearing red and black, and I was in gold and black. Guessing that this would be a tradition for us, what with Alice and Rosalie grinning like maniacs, I sighed, resigned.

I hadn't noticed Edward coming up behind me, so he startled me when he spoke. "You look very pretty today, Bella," he whispered, his lips close to my ear. I turned around, and he was smiling at me. He picked me up bridal style and carried me out of the house, surprising me. I screamed, and he laughed. I soon joined him, as did everybody else, following us. Edward set me back on my feet in front of the passenger side door to his Volvo, and he walked quickly over to the driver's side.

"You'll be riding to school with me today, Bella." he said, opening his door.

I got in, closing the door behind me, and didn't bother to put my seatbelt on. He was the first out of the driveway, with everyone else behind us in Emmett's Jeep.

We settled into a comfortable silence, me looking out the window and him concentrating on the road. My thoughts wandered to my relationship with Edward. Was he a brother? A best friend? Or was it possible he already loved me back, and was afraid to admit it? He had seemed comfortable enough when carrying me out the door this morning, and when he had caught me after I fell out of the car.

I knew if he wanted to, he would say it. He seemed pretty straightforward, but I wasn't sure. I was afraid that he didn't feel the same way. And that if I said anything about it, he would become distant, and whatever friendship or feelings we had for each other would evaporate.

I couldn't let that happen.

I glanced over at Edward, and found him watching me. The car wasn't moving, and I looked out only to see that we were already in a parking lot, presumably at the school.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked me.

In response, I climbed out of the car, walking over to meet Alice and the rest of my family. Alice explained that I would have to go to the office for my schedule, so I followed her to the building that from the outside looked more like a small apartment than part of a school.

I walked inside, eager to collect my schedule and leave. A red-haired woman looked up from typing on her computer, and she plastered a smile on her face.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm Isabella Swan, and-"

"Oh, the new student! I have your schedule right here, and map of the school." she interrupted loudly, handing me some papers. "Also, you need to get all of your teachers to sign this, and bring it back in at the end of the day." she finished, handing me another slip of paper.

I thanked her, and exited the small building, walking down the sidewalk. With my siblings around me, I knew the revelation my dream had caused was true. My family loved me, no doubt about it.


	11. Golden Retriever

Paste your document here...

**Guess who's in this chapter? P.S.- Bella met him in the mall. **

**Her first day at school in Forks! Spanish translations will be at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: You know how if Mike was a dog, he would be a golden retriever? Well, if Jessica was a dog, she would probably be a poodle. Alice might be a chihuahua, and Jasper would probably be something like a Great Dane, since he was in the army and stuff...but what does that make Emmett? Too bad Stephanie Meyer didn't hint as to what Emmett would be as a dog when she wrote the books she is currently making tons of ****money**** from, and which I do not own.**

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I walked into first hour English with Alice prancing along beside me. I handed my slip to the teacher, who was currently sitting at his desk, correcting papers and waiting for the bell to ring. I was aware of all the curious eyes on my back, and I wished he would sign the paper so I could just sit down.

He handed me back the slip and directed me to a seat which was, conveniently enough, right next to Alice. I sat down and put my books on the desk, waiting for the class to start, when Alice leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Eric Yorkie is staring at you,"

"Everyone is staring at me."

"Yeah, but he's staring at you _more_."

I looked around for someone who was staring at me 'more'. My eyes landed on a boy with a bad complexion and black hair, and I knew that it was him. He was staring at me so intently that it looked like his eyes were bulging out of his head. I blushed when I saw him, looking down.

Alice leaned over again. "You might want to avoid him."

"He looks like he's trying to laser a hole in my head with his eyes." I whispered back, wishing Eric would turn towards the front of the room, or anywhere but towards me, for that matter.

Alice giggled, causing the few eyes that had not been on us to turn in our direction. "I don't think you should stay too long after class. He might attack you."

"Stop it!" I warned, taking my schedule out to look at it. Suddenly, Alice squealed. "Ooh, I have Spanish with you, too!"

"Am I going to be spending the rest of the day alone?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

"You have Government with Jasper, and Biology with-" she said, before the teacher-who had not mentioned his name to me-called attention to the front of the class by saying, "If you are all finished ogling Miss Swan, could you all please turn your attentions to the board and copy down the notes for literary phrases and sentence structure?"

English was boring, mostly because everything the teacher was saying I had already learned. Alice was most likely educated on the subject also, because she wouldn't stop talking. She talked about everything she normally talked about-shopping, makeup, and boys-except added to the list was now the dilemma of knowing everything before the teacher said it, which made me feel there was a double meaning.

After the bell rang, signaling that we should go to our second hour classes, I picked up myself and my books, and was ready to go out the door, when Eric cornered me.

"You're Isabella, right? What class do you have now?"

"It's just Bella. And I have Government with Jefferson." I said, wincing. He was staring at me again, even though he was standing just a foot from me. I would have preferred farther, but I couldn't tell him to back off without sounding stuck up or bitchy.

"Great!" he nearly yelled. "I'm in building four, so I'm going the same direction. Do you want me to walk you to class?"

I most definitely didn't want him to walk me to class. He had the characteristics of a potential stalker, and encouraging him wasn't ideal. Desperately trying to find a way out of the situation, I replied, "I'm sure I can find my own way, but thank anyways."

"Oh." he said dejectedly. "Well...maybe I'll see you later?" His eyes lit up at the prospect, and I almost groaned. Definitely the stalker type.

I nodded briefly, and brushed past him out of the room. I was about to glance at my map when someone walked up next to me, snatching the paper out of my hands.

"Hey!" I yelled, reaching in the direction the paper had disappeared to. I looked up, and Jasper was grinning at me with the map dangling from his thumb and index finger.

"Need some help?" he asked, smirking, while I glared at him, my hands on my hips.

"Not until you took my map,"

"Well maybe you don't need the map, since I'm here to save you from getting lost."

The embarrassing thing was, I probably would have gotten lost. I would have accidentally held the map upside down, or read it wrong. Somehow, I could make the easiest tasks difficult, much to my frustration.

Jasper linked his arm through mine, and pulled me along, laughing when I stumbled, just as I realized I hadn't asked Alice who I had biology with.

Government passed quickly, with Jasper either correcting things the teacher was saying or acting like he had lived through some of the events mentioned. Trigonometry also went by quickly, except one girl in my class whose name I couldn't remember blabbed the whole time about people I didn't know and relationships she thought should occur. I walked into my Spanish class with Alice, and the teacher looked up when I approached her desk. A sign on her desk said Sra. Goff.

"Me llamo Isabel, y yo soy un alumno nuevo." I said, using the Spanish name and vocabulary I had acquired in the three years prior, starting in eighth grade.

"Bienvenidos Isabel, por favor, te siéntes al lado de Alicia." she said, taking the paper from my hands, signing it, and giving it back to me.

I took a seat next to Alice, which I was beginning to think wasn't a coincidence. In Government I had sat next to Jasper, just like first hour English, when I was put next to Alice.

"Who do I have biology with?" I asked Alice after I sat down, remembering our unfinished conversation from earlier.

"You have biology with Edward. Hope you don't mind," she said, winking. I only minded slightly. While I _did_ get to spend an entire hour with Edward, it would be an hour that he wouldn't know my feelings for him, which would soil the experience, albeit only slightly.

Spanish passed in much of the same fashion as the first three classes had, with Señora Goff asking me occasional questions, or to read from a passage and translate it into English. I didn't have much difficulty.

"I didn't know you were so good at Spanish," Alice said, while we walked towards the cafeteria.

"It's just something that's comes to me easily. Something to make up for my clumsiness, I guess."

"Bella, you need a lot more than that to make up for your clumsiness."

I sighed as we walked into the lunchroom. Immediately, all conversation stopped, and everyone was watching us. I blushed a deep scarlet, and hurried to the lunch line, eager to get away from their prying eyes. I wasn't paying attention, and bumped into a boy, who, from what I could tell from the back of his head, had blonde hair and was about as tall as me.

"Sorry," I said, blushing again. He turned around, and recognition lit up in his eyes.

"I saw you at the mall, last Wednesday, didn't I? I never thought I would see you again!" he said, a little over-enthusiastically. "I'm Mike, by the way."

"I'm Bella." I replied carefully, measuring his response.

"Maybe we could go out sometime." he suggested. I didn't think that was a good idea, since he seemed to have the qualities of a golden retriever, and was probably clingy. I grabbed a piece of fruit and a drink, placing them on my tray as I spoke.

"I'm not quite ready for a relationship yet, Mike."

"What happened?" he asked, confused. He probably thought he could get anyone he wanted.

I just picked up my tray and walked over to where the Cullens were sitting.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting in the seat in the corner that faced the rest of the cafeteria, which was conveniently placed next to Edward.

"Nothing, since fifteen seconds ago," Alice commented, glaring in the direction of Mike.

"Although we couldn't say the same for you. Looks like you have a new pet!" Emmett said, laughing.

Jasper merely grinned, while Rosalie also glared at Mike.

"Did it have to be Mike Newton?" Edward mumbled under his breath, which I ignored.

"So, Edward. It looks like I have Biology with you."

His smiled, and said, "Maybe biology won't be boring anymore, then,"

"I sure hope not. I would hate to think I was the reason it was so boring," I laughed. Edward glanced at my lunch tray and frowned.

"You really should eat more, Bella." I looked at my lunch. A bottle of water and a piece of fruit. Like he should talk, though. He never eats anything at all.

"I'm not hungry."

The frown was still marring his beautiful face. "Fine, Edward. I'll eat something." I said, reaching for the apple and biting into it.

He watched me chew for a moment, then he smiled. "Good. It's almost time for Bio."

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"Me llamo Isabel, y yo soy un alumno nuevo."- "My name is Isabella, and I'm a new student."

"Bienvenidos Isabel, por favor, te siéntes al lado de Alicia."- "Welcome Isabella, please, have a seat next to Alice."


	12. Avoiding the Unavoidable

**5,000+ hits! In case you didn't read what I said last time, forgive me if I don't update on Wednesdays or Thursdays, on Wednesdays I never get home until around 6:00, and on Thursdays during the winter I snowboard at the local ski resort. I will try my hardest to get at least two chapters out today! Hope you like! Warning- Discreet Fluff**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a drawer full of old ****_Us _****magazines that I never got around to throwing away. Oh, and still Damien. But he, you can borrow. In fact, borrow him forever.**

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We sat at the lunch table until a few minutes before the bell rang-none of us were too excited about going to class. And Bio with Edward was going to be interesting.

I walked into the small building set aside for this teacher-whom everyone called Mr. Banner, so I assumed that was his name-and gave him the slip for him to sign. We had a conversation much like the one I had experienced earlier with the Spanish teacher, except in English.

Once again, the only seat available was next to a Cullen. I had noticed the curious glances in my direction suddenly stopped whenever one of my siblings looked at the culprit, and nobody ever approached any of us but me. Even Alice, the energetic little pixie who loved shopping, seemed to be friendless.

I was walking over to the empty stool at Edward's lab table, when I somehow tripped on the table leg. I flew forward, and caught myself on the edge of the stool. I heard a chuckle, and looked up to see Edward grinning at me.

"Need some help sitting down, Bella?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed. Any eyes that hadn't been watching us before, definitely were now.

I sat down just as Mr. Banner started the class. Unfortunately, I was once again already educated on the current subject matter, cell division. I tried to pay attention at first, but soon found myself doodling on my folder.

I crumpled-up ball of paper landed on my desk, and I heard a growl from my left. Did Edward just _growl_ at a piece of paper? But when I followed his glare, it was directed at Mike Newton. I carefully uncrumpled the ball.

_Bella,_ the note read, _what do you say to that date? Are you free Friday night? Mike. _

I quickly scribbled a short answer.

_Sorry, I have plans. Bella._ I threw the note back to him, after folding it neatly. Edward whispered, "Do you really have plans?"

"No," I replied. "I made that up so he wouldn't keep bugging me. I'm not interested in a relationship right now." _With him,_ I almost added. But if the people around us were eavesdropping and I said that, they would know I liked someone. And I didn't want to deal with the aftermath.

Before Mike could toss the paper back to me, the bell rang. From looking at my schedule what I'm sure was a few hundred times, I knew I had gym next. Not my best subject. I was sure that if they graded you wholly on ability and never on effort, I would be failing the class.

I practically flew out of the room, not waiting for Mike to catch up. When I got to the gym, Coach Clapp-I could tell because of his name tag-found me a uniform, but didn't make me change, since it was my first day. For that, I was glad. I would rather not make a bad impression on my first day by injuring my classmates or myself.

To my disappointment, Mike was in my gym class. He was smiling and winking at me, and his attempts at showing off weren't all that impressive.

When I walked out of the gym, Edward was waiting for me, leaning against the brick wall of the building. "Ready?" he asked, taking my hand. The touch sent an electric current up my arm, like a chill, and I shivered. He frowned and let go. "Sorry," he said, his brow furrowed.

We walked in an awkward silence to his car, and I realized that I had lived through my first day at Forks High.

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**Edward POV-That Morning**

I walked down the hall to wake Bella up, after hearing Alice think that she would wake Bella up herself in two minutes. Figuring Bella wasn't in favor of another rude awakening, I entered her room, only to see her thrashing around in clammy sheets, mumbling in her sleep.

"Damien..." she breathed. "No, they...don't love me."

I blanched. How could she think that? None of us had shown any hostility towards her. Had I done something wrong? I reached out and shook her shoulder gently, trying to wake her.

Suddenly, she sat straight up, clutching the sheets around her.

"Bella, are you alright? You said something about Damien, and..." I couldn't continue the thought.

"And?" she asked, looking somewhat worried.

"And you said we didn't love you. Is that what you really think?"

Her lips pulled up into a beautiful smile, though she had no reason to be happy if she thought we didn't love her. "No, Edward. I know you guys love me...I was just explaining it it to someone who didn't love me quite as much." She said, her smile faltering.

I knew she was talking about Damien. I wanted to kill him. He was a conniving little rat, and he had hurt Bella.

"Edward...I'm fine, really. I can't change what happened in my past, however much I would like to. Damien's come and gone, can't we just forget about him?" she pleaded.

And in that moment, I realized I _did_ love her. If anyone else had asked that of me, I might have bitten their head off. But Bella had succeeded in taming my anger, and she was the only one that could.


	13. The Unexpected and Being In the Know

**Another chapter, longer this time! Hope you like it! Remember, most main events in Twilight are happening in this story(although some are changed slightly to better fit the storyline), so can you guess what happens in this chapter? I bet you'll love me for this. **

**Disclaimer: The only things I own are some unfinished manuscripts and my imagination. Not Twilight. Sad, isn't it?**

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I woke up realizing how much I detested the winter. The cold air, the snow and the ice. The snow wasn't all that bad until it melted in your socks. Then it sucked. And the ice didn't help my clumsiness. If anything good came of it, it meant I could grab onto things outside for balance without looking like an idiot.

I was walking carefully towards Edward's car, holding onto Edward's arm for dear life. He just smiled down at me, obviously finding my current situation amusing. I let go so he could go around to the driver's side, and I was two steps away from the door when I slipped, falling on my ass. Edward was next to me in a flash, asking if I was okay.

"I'm fine, I just fell. It happens all the time." He scooped me up into his arms and carried me to the passenger door, which he opened without putting me down, and placed me carefully on the seat, closing the door as he went around to the driver's side. I watched as he got in and cranked the engine over.

When he pulled out of the driveway, the Jeep following us once again, he said, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"There was ice. Besides, you've seen me fall while walking. How is this a surprise to you?"

He sighed, and I glanced at him. He didn't say anything, and after a moment my gaze wandered.

"Holy _shit!_" I yelled, after seeing the speedometer. He was driving almost fifty above the speed limit!

"What? What, Bella?"

"Slow down! We're going to crash and die!"

He seemed to relax, as if he had thought there was a greater danger. "Bella, my whole family drives like this. Didn't you notice when you were riding in Rosalie's car?"

How could he be so nonchalant? Sure, if the Cullens weren't human, maybe they could walk away, unharmed. But I couldn't.

He seemed to know what my train of thought consisted of, because suddenly he asked, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

He seemed satisfied with my answer, and the rest of the ride was silent. He pulled into a parking space, and suddenly I remembered I hadn't given the office back my slip from yesterday, that had been signed by all of my teachers.

I waited for the rest of my siblings to walk over to Edward and I, then explained that I had to go give the office the signatures. "Do you want me to come with you?" Edward suggested.

"It's fine. I'll be right back!" I said, already picking my way carefully between what few cars were already parked. I ran across the final aisle for cars to drive through in the parking lot, and blew into the office, eager to get out of the cold.

The secretary looked up, surprised at my sudden entrance. "I forgot to hand in the slip with the signatures on it yesterday. Sorry." I explained, handing the paper to the red-haired woman. "It's fine, dear. Thank you for handing it in." she replied, another fake smile on her face.

I turned to leave, shivering as I stepped back into the cold. I began to walk across the aisle again without looking, not hearing any cars coming, but when I was halfway across, a deafening screeching sound filled the air.

I looked in the direction of the horrible noise, and saw a van coming straight for me, out of control. The driver was desperately trying to stop. I'm sure for a moment I looked like a deer in the headlights, but I soon attempted to run, only to fall flat on my face. I could hear the van coming closer, and I wished I wasn't so damn clumsy. If I hadn't fallen on the ice, I would be out of the way, safe on the sidelines.

Just as the screeching became impossibly loud, I felt myself being moved. I was pulled quickly out of the way, and my head cracked sharply on the pavement. Someone swore next to me, and I was aware that strong, cold hands were keeping me pinned to the ground.

Soon, I could hear multiple voices, and I opened my eyes, struggling to turn my head towards the sound of my family.

"No, Bella, don't move. I think you might have a concussion." Edward's musical voice commanded, close to my ear.

I let him hold me there until I saw them push through the crowd that had gathered, with Rosalie and Emmett in the front, and Alice and Jasper coming in a close second. Rosalie rushed over to me, wide-eyed, and began patting my arms, legs, and the top of my head, probably trying to make sure I was okay. Alice and Jasper looked horrified, and Emmett was looking dazed, just behind Rosalie.

Edward was still holding me, except he had moved his arms to around my waist, so I could move around a little. I could hear sirens wailing in the distance, getting closer every second. I would _not_ let them put me on a stretcher. That would embarrass me more than when Cameron had sung that song at my school formal three years ago.

The ambulance pulled up next to us, and they were pulling a stretcher with them. "No. I am _not_ getting on that thing." I said. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Please, Bella?" Edward pleaded, his eyes smoldering. For a moment, I forgot to breathe. I couldn't deny him if he did that.

"No fair," I whispered.

"I think she might have a concussion. She hit her head pretty hard on the pavement." he said to the paramedics, and I glared briefly at him. _Traitor, _I thought.

Once I was situated on the stretcher and in the back of the ambulance, we sped away to the hospital. I was vaguely aware of the paramedics doing preliminary checks on me, and they were done by the time I was pulled into the hospital, still on the stretcher. I sat up as soon as the nurses stopped bustling about me, and saw my siblings come into the room. Carlisle rushed in soon after, holding a clipboard.

"Do you feel nauseous or tired?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

"No, I'm fine. Edward over there just overreacted." I replied, rolling my eyes.

He began feeling along my forehead. "Tender?" he asked.

I winced when he got to the spot where my head had hit the tarmac, and he smiled apologetically.

"Are doctors allowed to treat their own family?" I asked.

He chuckled. "No, so don't tell anyone that you're my daughter."

I waited until he was done with his examination before jumping down to the floor. I stumbled, and I hoped he knew that it was because I was a klutz as he put his hand on my arm to steady me.

"If it hurts you can take some painkillers." he said, as I walked out the door with my siblings by my side.

"Do I have to go back to school?" I asked. I wasn't all that eager to face the gossip and buzz produced by the accident. Luckily, the owner of the van hadn't been hurt, and the van had in fact stopped a few yards past where I had been on the ground, so there would be one less thing for everyone to talk about.

"I don't think you have to. Half of the school is in the waiting room, anyways." Alice said, grinning at my unease.

I walked into the waiting room to go out to the parking lot, and suddenly I was bombarded with questions.

"Are you okay?" said someone I didn't know.

"Are you coming back to school?" asked the girl that always tried to talk to me in Trig, but ended up having a monologue. I think her name was Jessica.

"What happened before I got there?" Undoubtedly a gossiper.

"No hard feelings, right?" This was the van driver.

I ignored all of them, concentrating just on getting out the door. Edward's arm was around my waist, guiding me towards the exit, and Emmett was to my left, with Jasper behind me, like a police escort.

Once we got home, I flopped onto the couch as I looked back over the facts in my head about the Cullens. Pale. Fast. Inhumanly graceful, and beautiful. They never ate anything, and all of their eyes were a golden color. Possibly other abilities, since sometimes one of them would do something that seemed random, but I was sure wasn't, now that it had happened multiple times.

Esme had sat on the other end of the couch, at my feet, and Alice and Rosalie were sitting against the front of the couch. Edward was sitting on the arm of the couch near my head, playing with my hair, and Emmett and Jasper were setting up a game on one of their consoles.

What was pale, quick, beautiful, and didn't eat anything, or at least not regular food, and looked like a human? There was only one thing I could imagine them being that fit all of the characteristics, except one. Vampire. They were all vampires. But they had golden eyes, and vampires were rumored to have red eyes. And I hadn't spotted any protruding fangs, although those could easily be hidden. The odd thing was, I didn't care. They could be anything, and I would still love them, as they loved me.

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**I love how Edward sort of replaced Charlie when they were walking out of the hospital. I need cookies!**


	14. The Truth In Spades

**My story has over 7,500 hits, and almost 100 reviews! You know, I actually dream of the day when one of my stories ends up in a Twilight community of stories with more than 1,000 reviews. Is that weird? _Anyways_...if I was going to start a new story, what would I write about? It would be Twilight, of course. I apologize for not updating earlier, I went out to lunch with some friends and got mushroom ravioli. No joke.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I know, Stephenie! Oh, and I'm also ****_not_**** the one who...er... nevermind. *cower***

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I laid there on the couch, mulling over the realization that I was living with a family of vampires. I also wanted to jump up and hug Edward, but that was much less of a surprise. He was still playing with my hair, and nobody else had moved from their positions on the floor or the couch.

So, I was living with a bunch of vampires who had actually _requested_ that I live with them. Me, the human. I knew a vampires' diet was human blood, so why was I here? They didn't seem to be the kind of people to keep me here for a few days and then off me, and I most definitely wasn't a pet. Perhaps they were using me to test their control around humans.

Everyone seemed comfortable enough around me. None of them ever seemed ill at ease whenever I walked by, or stood near them. Perhaps they didn't want to make me uncomfortable, or it was part of their performance around humans. I was betting I made them uneasy when I was around, even though they didn't show it. Edward seemed perfectly fine playing with my hair, although he was undoubtedly stirring my scent around by doing so. Alice, Rosalie, and Esme seemed comfortable, albeit being less then a foot away from me. And Jasper and Emmett never made a sign if I made them uneasy when we were joking around.

Confusion was the dominant emotion in my mind, and curiosity. I was ready to take the leap, even if I was almost shooting in the dark. No matter what happened, I couldn't bear not knowing any longer.

I looked up at Edward, and he smiled at me. He obviously didn't know that I had guessed what he was. "I know," I whispered, knowing everyone in the room could hear me. His happy expression was replaced by one of horror, and everyone's heads whipped around to watch me.

"Know what, Bella?" he asked quietly, obviously hoping I knew something besides the fact that they were vampires, or I was wrong in whatever I knew.

"I know what you are. And I don't care."

His eyes turned black, and he spoke slightly louder this time. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. I've seen the clues, Edward. And they fit into the puzzle."

"Well then, what am I?"

"You're fast. You can hear things a normal human wouldn't. Inhumanly beautiful. More graceful than a normal person. You're pale, even paler than me. You disappear at random times, only to return a few hours later, with lighter colored eyes. Your eyes...they're golden. They change color, from ocher to butterscotch. You're vampires. All of you. And I don't care. I know you love me, and I love you. Just, please, don't make me leave just because I know."

It was possible they would give me back to the foster system, because I knew their secret and they thought I would expose them. If I was here in Forks, maybe I could convince someone by showing them the facts. But who would believe me, in a place hundreds of miles away, with no proof?

Everyone's face held an expression of shock and sadness.

Esme sounded like she could cry when she said, "We would never make you leave, Bella. But if you want to leave us...we would understand."

Rosalie's eyes widened in shock at the realization that I _could_ leave, and I could see my own eyes reflected in hers. They were also wide at the unexpected turn the conversation had taken, but filled with resolve.

"I'm staying. But I'm curious...what else can you guys do?"

Alice smiled the widest of everyone in the room. "I can see the future! That's also why you're here! I saw a vision of you with our family, so I looked you up and called in to see where you were, except you were..." I was glad Alice didn't finish her sentence. I didn't exactly want to relive that experience.

She began speaking again. "Anyways, Jasper has empathetic abilities, so he feels your emotions," I looked at Jasper in surprise. Had he known exactly how I felt for Edward this whole time? He nodded, answering my silent question.

"And Edward can read minds!" _Shit._ So Edward knew, too. Had he been pretending to be gentlemanly, and had only been too kind to tell me he didn't feel the same way for me that I felt for him?

"Correction," Edward stated. "I can read minds-just not yours." He looked at me with curiosity, and for the first time, I understood why. He was used to hearing everyone's thoughts, so it must have been strange to not be able to hear mine, to not always know what I was thinking.

Emmett piped up from the floor, next to Jasper, "I don't know if this counts as a special ability, but I'm stronger than a normal vampire. And Rosie is more beautiful than a normal vampire." He jerked his thumb in Rose's direction as he said her name.

Edward spoke again. "Carlisle's theory is that every vampire brings something from their human life into the next, which is amplified and sometimes, if it is strong enough, is considered an extra power. No vampire has the same ability, for everyone is unique. For example, Carlisle has the best control of everyone in our family. So in his human life, we believe he may have had a sound mind or could control his emotions easily. And Esme," he said, smiling at Esme, who was still sitting at my feet, "Is compassionate, so she was most likely someone who showed their feelings without shame and loved easily."

He was about to say more, when a sudden thought struck me, which seemed to be the most obvious of all of my questions. "What do you eat?" I asked, abruptly silencing Edward's rambling.

"We drink animal blood, Bella. This also makes it easier for us to get along with each other, and we have better control than a normal vampire would." he replied, smiling gently.

"Wait-if you each got your ability from something in your human life, what were you like?" I asked, opening the floodgates. Everyone began speaking at once, and I'm sure a vampire with fine-tuned hearing would be doing fine, but I was having some trouble. Esme sensed this, and after silencing everyone, sat down on the floor, patting the spot next to her. I sat on the floor to her right, and everyone else formed a circle on the floor. I'm sure to anyone else, we would have looked like a group of teenagers gathered around a campfire.

I sat there, listening to them tell their stories, and Esme's brought me close to tears. I hugged her when she was done, and right away she relaxed into my embrace. Everyone went around the circle, explaining what had happened to them. Carlisle arrived home just as Rosalie was finishing her story, which had angered me. Royce King deserved to die.

He joined us on the floor after Esme explained the situation to him, and told me of his life and turning. We continued around the circle until we got to Edward, who was last, since he was to my right. I was glad Carlisle had saved them, and I was glad Carlisle had saved himself and devised their "vegetarian" lifestyle.

Once Edward finished, I was ready to go to bed, bone-tired from the events of the day, when Alice said, "Bella? Are you going to tell us about yourself?" Apparently Edward _wasn't_ last. I didn't want to go into too much detail, but I could tell them the basics.

Taking a deep breath, I started, "My story really starts when I was thirteen. My life was perfect, or so I thought. I was at a carnival with Renee and Charlie, and they wanted to go on a roller coaster. I wasn't afraid of going on the coaster, more of the idea of getting sick afterwards. So I told them to go ahead on the ride. I told them I would be fine. They waved at me from the platform, just before the ride started. The ride was broken, and the crew didn't know it. The hydraulics on part of it had a leak, and one section of the coaster had partially corroded, making it possible for that section to disconnect if there was too much weight. It was a freak accident. Wrong time, wrong place." I took another deep breath, then continued. "I was put into foster care, bouncing between homes and never really fitting in, until I was taken in by a nice, young couple. Recently married, they had a lot of fights, and one night it was worse than before. One of the neighbors heard, and called the police. I was taken out of that foster home, and then I ended up with Damien. You know the rest."

By the time I finished, I was speaking in barely more than a whisper. Esme put her arms around me in a gentle hug, and Edward was staring at me with a look of amazement on his face. Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie looked somewhat surprised, and Emmett had his mouth hanging open. He looked kind of like a cartoon. Carlisle was sitting across from me with a sympathetic expression.

I broke the silence. "Can we forget I ever said anything? I want to forget what happened, and never look back." I had thought enough about the past. Forgetting about the past would be a large step in the right direction. I didn't understand how my story beat any of theirs. I also didn't want my family to treat me any differently now that they knew my story, so once Esme let me go, and Emmett's jaw was no longer hanging open, I stood up, stretching.

"Also, if you were trying to hide the fact that you were married, you didn't do a very good job," I said, pointing to Emmett and Rosalie, then Jasper and Alice. "You either."

Everyone burst into laughter, and I couldn't help but laugh, myself. This was how it should be; this was a _real_ family.


	15. Idiocy Is a Gift

**'Nutha chapter. Too much caffeine. Ugh. Thought I'd add that fun little part with the volleyball in there. Surprised? It seems like whenever I write about the mall, the chapters become super long. Read on!**

**Some Edward lovers may hate me for this chapter-but don't worry, (insert character's name here) won't be a big part of the story.**

**Disclaimer: I'm working on it, give me a few days to put my plan into action. It involves a marshmallow bazooka, some raw potatoes, and a chunk of venison. Oh, and it also involves Edward in my basement. He's already lived down there once before, but I'm not that good under pressure. Or in hostage situations. Or walking across a flat surface.**

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My first week at Forks High could only be described as amazing. First of all, I successfully evaded any people who wanted to walk me to class-which is a major accomplishment once you take into account how many people tried. Secondly, I was almost flattened by a van and saved by Edward. Also, I now know my family is made of vampires who drink animal blood. Finally, I avoided Mike Newton's requests for a date and successfully tuned out any gossip involving me.

Weirdest week ever.

Currently, Mike Newton was asking me something, but I hadn't been paying attention to him. He was sitting on the edge of my lab table, and Edward was looking a bit annoyed.

"Bella?" Mike said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you wanted to go to First Beach with us next weekend."

I didn't want to go-I already knew my family wouldn't be able to go out in the sun. They hadn't explained in detail, but it sounded like _something_ happened when the sun hit their skin, although I hoped it wasn't burning, as the legends say.

"No thanks, I'd rather stay home. I don't really do that well in the water." Sure, I knew how to swim. But water was cold and wet-just like the rain that was currently falling against the windows.

"Oh. Well, are you sure that tonight-" Mike started. I sighed. Could this boy not take a hint?

Edward interrupted, "I'm sure that Bella has better things to do tonight, Mike, seeing as I am a part of them. And how many times are you going to ask her to go on a date with you, before you realize that she doesn't actually want to go?"

Mike turned red in the face at both the statement and the question, muttering, "As many times as it takes.", as he walked back to his table and sat down.

"That was a rhetorical question, Mike." Edward whispered.

I smiled, glad that Mike had finally been told what I was too shy to say myself, and laughing silently at him.

Mr. Banner had started talking about chromatids, so I took out a piece of paper and began writing down random things, trying to make it look like I was paying attention.

Edward was taking actual notes, although I was sure he didn't need them. Another prop, just like the kitchen had been until I came to live with the Cullens.

"Next week on Wednesday, there's going to be a lab on mitosis. Just identifying the stages, so it should be easy enough." Mr. Banner announced. I didn't understand why he was explaining this to us the Friday before we had to do the lab, so we would have the whole weekend to forget, but I got the impression that Mr. Banner was missing a few marbles. He said something about the first people to finish the lab getting an onion.

The bell sounded, and I trudged unwillingly off to gym. On Wednesday I had nearly demolished my whole team(accidentally, of course), but yesterday I had only tripped a few times. Thinking it was going to be another one of 'those days', I headed to the locker room to get changed.

Coming out of the locker room, I walked over to my team's side of the net. As soon as Coach Clapp blew the whistle, the ball began flying back and forth, while I tried desperately to keep out of the way.

The ball was coming straight for me. "Hit it, Bella!" I heard Mike yell. I closed my eyes, and swung my arms upward, wrists crossed, palms facing up. I didn't expect to hit anything, so I was surprised when I felt my wrists connect with the ball, and I opened my eyes to see the other team diving to hit it back, not having expected me to hit the ball. They missed, and my team got the point.

Coach Clapp blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game. "Green team wins by one point." _We_ were the green team. Did I just win the game? Everyone cheered, and Mike came over and fist bumped me. Some people looked genuinely surprised, and I'm sure I looked exactly the same. When I finally left the gym, Edward was leaning against the outside wall again.

Smiling, he said, "Good job. I didn't know you had that in you."

"Me either," I replied, still amazed that I had hit the ball. And without hurting anybody in the process.

He just chuckled. I only slipped once before we got to the Volvo, and I was definitely ready to go home and spend the weekend vegetating on the couch.

But as soon as I climbed out of the car, Alice ran over and began pulling me to Rosalie's car.

"Not again!" I complained, realizing she was dragging me along on another shopping trip.

"Oh, you'll be fine."

Rose was already in her car, which she had driven to school today with Alice. I gave her a dirty look as I slid into the passenger seat.

We pulled into a parking space and ran into the mall, me because I was eager to get it over with, and them because they _just couldn't wait_ to start shopping.

They were in a dress store fingering a silky, dark green floor-length, and I was standing just outside the door, waiting for them to finish ogling the dresses. I wandered a little farther away from the store to sit on a bench, and was still watching the store when someone sat next to me.

"Hey, darlin'." the man slurred. Did they let drunk people walk around in the mall, or did they just miss this guy? I didn't think he had much control over his mouth.

I just stared at him for a moment, and he smiled.

"How er ya?" he asked. I still didn't say anything, deciding silence was my best defense. "Are ya ignorin' meh?"

He seemed to be getting angry, so I stood up to leave, but he grabbed my arm. This man was scary.

"Let me go!" I growled, trying to rip my arm from his grip. Despite being intoxicated, he was strong.

"Honey, why don' you stay wit' me? I cou' make you _real_ happy." he said, smiling again.

I was about to yell for Alice and Rose when a fist connected with the side of the man's head, snapping it back, and making him let go of my arm.

"I believe the lady asked you to let her go." I turned, and a dark-skinned boy who looked to be about sixteen was standing over the drunk man on the bench. The man jumped off the bench to stand, wavering slightly, and got in the russet-skinned boy's face.

"Mind yer own biznuss," he said, aiming a punch at the boy's face. The boy quickly sidestepped it, and I yelled, "Stop!" Why were these people fighting over me?

When I yelled, the man turned towards me. He reminded me of Damien in that moment, with crazed eyes, and I stood frozen to my spot. His fist hit me in the stomach, and I was sent flying to the ground. I laid there for a second, stunned, until Rosalie and Alice came into my line of sight. They crouched over me, and I heard a yelp, before the dark-skinned boy crouched over me also.

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked, frantic.

Suddenly, I could speak again. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got the wind knocked out of me. He...he looked like Damien when he's drunk."

Two people from Security rushed over to us, and one of them came over to me. "What happened?" he asked.

I made my statement, and the security guard turned to Jacob, expecting his side of the story.

"I was walking towards the food court, when I saw that man holding her arm. She obviously didn't want to talk to him, and I heard her tell him to let her go, so I walked over to where they were. Didn't seem like he was agreeing when he said she should stay with him, because he could make her _happy._ The rest of the story is the same."

The man turned to Alice and Rose. Alice spoke.

"We were in that shop over there, and when we came out we saw the man hit Bella, and then she was on the ground. We rushed over to make sure she was okay, and here you are. That's all we saw."

"I assume you're under 18?" the guard asked, turning to me.

I nodded, and he got up to talk to his partner. My assailant was no longer on the ground, and I was sitting up. I rubbed my arm, thinking that there were going to be finger marks on my arm again, something I thought I would never have to think about again._  
_

"I'm Jacob," the boy said. "Does this always happen to you? You seem to be taking it pretty well."

I winced. It used to happen to me a lot, starting about three months ago and ending just last week. I had become used to it by halfway into the second week.

The security people came over and told us we could leave if we wanted, or just keep browsing. I decided I wanted to keep browsing, much to Alice's surprise. The only reason I would even consider that option was to forget what had just happened.

Jacob joined us as we walked, and I was glad for the non-shopaholic company. We ended up talking about school, and I mentioned that some of my classmates were going to First Beach next weekend.

"Really?" Jacob said. "I live near First Beach, on the res. Are you going with them?"

"Sorry, no. The person who invited me I'm not all that fond of. He's been asking me out since the first time he saw me."

Jacob chuckled. "Well, tell him to back off."

"I did. He said he would do whatever it takes." I replied, rolling my eyes.

He laughed, saying, "I have to go. I'm meeting up with a friend in a few minutes. Maybe I'll see you sometime?"

"Yeah," I nodded. It was different from when Mike Newton or Eric Yorkie said it. When they said it, it sounded like I was lunch. When he said it, it sounded like he just wanted to be friends.

Jacob left, and we continued methodically through the mall, stopping every once in a while. I decided that the drunk man from the bench was just another idiot, as were Mike and Eric. Damien wasn't as much, but he certainly played the part sometimes.

Idiocy is a gift.


	16. A Saturday With the Cullens

**Over 11,000 hits!**

**So now I have more than two titles to my name! I recently added a one-shot(well, maybe not a one-shot anymore) and a plot bunny collection. Inspiration strikes at the strangest times, I swear. Like for this chapter, I had my head stuck in the fridge.**

**Disclaimer: Raise your hand if you think I own Twilight. *stares at people who raise their hands* Okay, you, you, and you are all idiots. Just kidding. I wish, but my plan isn't going so well. Edward stole my bazooka the other night and pelted me with marshmallows when I threw a potato at him. And I'm not having that much luck getting him into the basement.**

* * *

We didn't feel the need to tell Edward what happened at the mall, although Alice decided it would be a good idea to chant, "Bella's got a boyfriend!" at random times. Edward had tried asking more than once, but we kept quiet. No one else knew, either, just that something had happened to make us paler than usual, and to make Alice say I had a boyfriend every three seconds.

Currently, she was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, doing the monk thing with her fingers, and making typical meditation noises. All of this was for no reason at all. She didn't need to concentrate to have a vision, and she sure as hell wasn't doing very well. The rest of us were talking to each other, or in Esme's case, running around in the kitchen banging pots and pans around, trying to make me dinner. I had asked her not to bother, but she had decided to after seeing I wasn't going to feed myself until much later.

It was only my second Saturday here, and already I knew what to expect. Alice had made me over, as she did every day since I had arrived here, after waking me up at eight(which seemed to me an ungodly hour to wake up at on a weekend). Then I would go watch Rose work on her car, or Emmett and Jasper would play video games while I tried to mess one of them up. Either way, Edward was usually with me.

I couldn't help but wonder if Edward and I even had a chance together. It was obvious he held feelings for me, but those could just as easily be brother and sister feelings, as love. It seemed possible, even if it wasn't probable.

"Hey, Bella! Wanna play a round?" Emmett asked. He was playing the same street-fighting game as he had been last week.

"Sure," I replied, getting up from where I was sitting next to Edward on the couch, and plopping myself on the floor beside Emmett. He handed me a controller.

"Okay, controls are simple. You-" he started to explain the game, but I already knew how to play.

"Uh...I already know how."

He looked surprised, but pressed the start button. We picked our characters, and I'm pretty sure Emmett was trying to be funny, because he picked some Japanese person and gave it a name that sounded a lot like "tiny pony".

We began the game, and I started out by doing easy one-button moves, trying to make him feel like he was winning. Pretty soon, Emmett was smiling and I could feel Jasper watching me from a chair near Alice, who was still on the floor, but was now watching Emmett and I. I didn't feel like losing anymore, and the game was getting boring. I pressed a bunch of buttons on my controller, and Emmett turned to look at me while still furiously pressing letters.

Esme walked in and started to say something, but Emmett made a "sh" noise, and she began watching our game, too. By now I had progressed to 6-key combos, and Emmett was losing by a lot. "What the hell, Bella?! Why didn't you tell me you were a game freak?!" Emmett yelled, allowing me to KO him. "Language, Emmett!" Esme said sternly.

I turned to face him, smiling, and replied, "Because I'm not a freak." He opened and closed his mouth a few times, making raspy, "fish out of water" noises, then crossed his arms, saying, "Hmph!"

We all burst into laughter at that point, including Esme and excluding Emmett. Carlisle decided to come home from the hospital at that exact moment, and opened the door. He looked around at all of us, confused but smiling. He shook his head, stepping across the threshold.

By now all of us were done laughing but Jasper. The rest of us were sitting there with huge smiles plastered onto our faces, while he was still full-out guffawing.

"Give me a break!" he managed to say between bouts of laughter. I tried to tone down my amusement, but instead began giggling uncontrollably. Edward was wearing his lopsided grin.

Eventually we all calmed down, and Esme led me to the kitchen so I could eat. I finished as quickly as possible, and when I got back to the living room Rosalie had come in from the garage, and she was sitting on the couch with Emmett. Actually, sitting on Emmett's lap, while Emmett sat on the couch. Alice and Jasper were next to them, in the same position. And next to them, Esme and Carlisle were taking up the last two seats on the couch. Edward was on the chair Jasper had been occupying previously.

I was about to sit on the floor when Edward got up and offered me his chair. I shook my head no, not wanting to make him sit on the floor, and sat down where I was with my legs crossed. I was mocking Alice's meditation from earlier when I felt myself being picked up, and when I opened my eyes I was in Edward's arms. He sat back down on the chair, depositing me on his lap while the rest of the family looked on in amusement.

I blushed a bright red, and I could feel Edward shaking with laughter. His scent was intoxicating. Alice's grin was so wide I was surprised it fit on her face. Her eyes suddenly glazed over for a moment, and when she came back to reality from her vision, her smile was even _bigger_. "It's going to be sunny tomorrow," she said.

"Bella, would you like to do something with me tomorrow? I think it's time we show you what happens when we go out in the sun." Edward said to me, piquing my interest. I was finally going to find out what happened to vampires in the sun? It obviously wasn't burning, then. But wouldn't people be a little freaked out if a vampire was walking around in the sunlight?

"Where would we go?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see. It's a special place of mine, that I found a while ago." he told me.

"Wait, wait!" Alice exclaimed. "You're taking her _there_? Finally!"

Well, okay then. Why did _Alice_get to know when I didn't? And why did I suddenly feel anticipation? Was it the idea of finding the answer to another of the mysteries of the vampire world? Or something else?


	17. The Meadow

**Short chapter, but I have a feeling you won't mind. Just like to give some shoutouts: Thank you to cbmorefie, squirtlepokemon215, , Dixie.f.9, FelicityA, JFVW, Faith Bow, jamieannaelisabeth, and some guest reviewers for staying with me! Oh and thanks to that guest reviewer who has a new name every time they review, lex, because you're hilarious ;) My most recent injury was when I jammed my thumb yesterday when I went off a jump with my snowboard at the wrong angle, and my thumb bent farther back than thumbs are supposed to bend.**

**Sorry that I changed the meadow scene a little bit, maybe it's better than it was in the books? I sure hope so.**

**No hate for this chapter, just love!**

**Disclaimer: I finally got Edward in the basement. The TV is still down there, but I took the futon out of the basement. In your face, Edward Cullen! It's ****_my_**** futon** **now! *Insert evil laugh here***

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I woke up the next day more awake than ever. Maybe it was because of the events planned for the day, or perhaps because Alice was yelling in my ear.

"Come on, you aren't leaving the house until-" she yelled, although I could hear her just fine.

"I know, I know!" I interjected, wincing as I put my hands over my ears. "Until I get a makeover!"

She huffed, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for me to climb out of bed. I did so carefully, and right away she pulled me by the arm to the closet, where she proceeded to grab things the way she did every day. Once I was dressed, she pulled me to the bathroom and did my makeup faster than she normally did.

"In a hurry?" I asked, confused at her unusual eagerness to be done.

"Yes, Edward is waiting downstairs."

The reminder that I would be with Edward all day put butterflies in my stomach. My senses were nagging me. I had the oddest feeling that something would happen today, but I didn't have a clue what.

I ran downstairs, only to trip on the last step, falling straight into Emmett's arms.

"Woah, little sister! Trying to make a move on me?" he teased, setting me on my feet. I scowled at him, and an inhuman growl coming from behind Emmett alerted me to Edward's presence. I peeked around Emmett, and when I locked eyes with Edward, his stony features melted into that heart-stopping grin.

I walked to him, and he took my hand, sending an electric pulse up my arm. "Where are we going?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see," he said, leading me out to his Volvo.

We drove past two-story colonials and some houses with colors that either looked ugly as hell or didn't stand out at all. One house we drove by was two stories, white, and looked like it hadn't been lived in for a while. Shortly after passing that house, Edward pulled over to the side of the road.

We got out, and I realized that this was actually where the road ended, and the only way to go was either back the way we had come, or into the woods. Edward picked the woods.

I followed him, almost falling on my face a few times, and each time I would blush in embarrassment when he caught me. My whole life, no one had ever helped me. I had mostly adjusted, but this new life was still taking some getting used to.

After a while, I could see a dim light filtering through the trees. "What's that?" I asked Edward.

"_That_ would be our destination." he replied, smiling at me as he helped me over a fallen log. I walked a little farther, barely trying to hide my anticipation. I could feel Edward smiling at my back, and I entered the clearing almost at a run, but stopped short when I saw my surroundings. There was a waterfall on the far side, water cascading down in small streams, weaving between the rocks. I was standing in a field full to the brim with flowers. Violets, buttercups, every flower I knew and then some. The sun shone into the clearing, reflecting flashes of light off the water and feeding the flowers.

I turned to tell Edward it was amazing, but he wasn't there. I turned farther to see him just inside the ring of light, and he was sparkling. Sparkling like he had diamonds sewn onto his skin. Like he had been cut from diamond itself, and the million tiny facets on his hands were shining in the sunlight.

His shirt, now unbuttoned, revealed even more gems. He was dazzling, even when not in the sunlight, but sparkling, he was amazing, just as the meadow was. He took a tentative step forward, and I took two. "That's why you can't go out in the sun. You sparkle," I said, grinning. He relaxed, and stepped forward to stand in front of me. He was tall enough that I had to tilt my head up to look at him.

"This is my meadow," he said, grinning again. "And now it's _our_ meadow."

I smiled even wider, unable to stop myself. So now we shared something. If not love, this was something I would definitely settle for. But I was beginning to think there could be a mutual attraction between Edward and I. I had never seen him act around anybody else the way he did around me, and I was sure it wasn't just brotherly love now, but it could have been almost anything.

Then he leaned down, and I, caught up in the moment, closed my eyes. His lips touched mine, and he smelled like sunshine. It was intoxicating. I broke away before I could jump on him, smiling at the thought.

He looked confused, but when he saw my smile he smiled, too.

I could never be what he wanted me to be. I could never live up to his standards. I didn't even live up to my own.

I looked down, only to have him pull my chin back up.

"What's wrong, Bella?" he asked.

"Nothing." I tried unsuccessfully to squirm out of his grasp, which only further convinced him that there was something I wasn't telling him. We stared at each other for a few moments, before I spoke.

"I'm damaged goods, Edward." I said regretfully, finally breaking free from his hand and turning away.

"No," he said, appearing in front of me. "You're better than most people. You've seen many things I wish you hadn't had to see, and you're more brave than anybody I know. You're beautiful, and you have a beautiful personality. I love you, Bella."

My heart soared, knowing what he said was true, and that I could finally admit how I had felt about him. "I love you, Edward. I always have." I said quietly.

He bent down for another kiss.


	18. Reborn

**Hehe...I kind of copied a scene from the Twilight movie. "No, he's just looking." I got a ****_very_**** positive response for that last chapter! Sometimes I go back and look at earlier chapters or stories I've written, and I wince at how much I sucked. But I also love how much I progressed in the-what, month? Two months?-since I've begun posting on this site.**

**~Lin**

**Disclaimer: I own Twilight. Yeah. Definitely...I'm not lying. What would make you think I was lying? You mean the fact that Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and ****_not_**** me? A girl can dream, right?**

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We stepped into the living room, our fingers intertwined. I could see Alice trying not to smile, but she wasn't having much success. Emmett jumped up to pull me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Emmett, I can't...breathe," I gasped, still holding onto Edward's hand. Emmett placed me carefully back on my feet, saying, "Where have you been? You aren't supposed to leave me alone with these people!" Translation? 'I'm so used to having you around the house it feels weird when you aren't here.'

He spied my hand in Edward's, and his gaze turned suspicious. "What have you been up to?" he asked, his mouth slowly stretching into a smile.

We had stayed at the meadow for hours, until the sky began to darken. Most of our time had been spent in a comfortable silence, with me in Edward's arms, contemplating my future and new possibilities. In a way, this was my first day alive. This was a new beginning, and I was determined not to do anything that would mess it up.

Alice jumped up from her perch on Jasper's lap and yelled, "They finally kissed!"

Everyone turned to look at Alice for a moment before turning to look at Edward and I. I blushed under the gazes of my family members, and Edward pulled me closer to him.

Emmett catcalled, and Rosalie glared at Edward, although I didn't know why. Alice's excitement seemed to be affecting Jasper, because he was grinning. Esme and Carlisle were sitting on the couch and holding hands, smiling at us. I recovered from my embarrassment, and glared at Alice for yelling it for the world to hear.

Edward let go of my hand and placed an arm around my waist. Rosalie stood up, and pointed a finger at Edward. "Outside. Now."

Edward's cold arm retreated from my waist, and everyone but Esme and Carlisle moved to join Rosalie and Edward as they walked outside. I sat in the chair across from the smiling pair. "Do you know what that was about?" I asked, confused at Rose's icy tone.

Esme said, "They just want to talk to Edward. They're warning him."

"Warning him?"

Carlisle spoke this time. "I'm sure it's unnecessary, but if Edward were to ever hurt you, let's just say the consequences wouldn't be pleasant."

I grinned as I imagined Edward being told off by Alice. She may be small, but she could be damn frightening if she wanted to be.

At that moment, they all walked back in like nothing had happened. Rosalie was grinning, and I could only imagine the menacing things she had said. Edward came over to me, smiling, and led me to a different room, with a grand piano in it. He sat down on the piano bench, patting the spot next to him, indicating that I should sit. I complied, and he began to play.

It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard, and it brought tears. Edward ended the ballad and wiped the tears from beneath my eyes. "Bella?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Edward," I replied, smiling. "It was beautiful."

"You inspired it."

**TR TR TR TR TR TR TR**

We walked across the parking lot, Edward's arm slung across my shoulders. He was wearing sunglasses, which he didn't need since it was cloudy again. I was thankful that he didn't need them-my siblings had stayed home from school on Monday because it had been sunny. Nothing had happened yesterday, either, aside from the curious glances thrown our way when Edward and I showed signs of affection, and the only thing planned for today was the lab in Biology on cell division.

Yesterday Mr. Banner had told us about another lab taking place next Monday on blood typing, which Edward would, of course, have to skip to avoid. I wasn't excited about blood typing, since I couldn't stand the smell of blood-just seeing it made me woozy. During my time with Damien I had learned to wait until it dried, and the scent wasn't as strong, to take care of it.

Edward dropped me off in front of my English building with Alice, who giggled when Edward and I kissed goodbye. "Oh, grow up, Alice." I said, blushing. We walked into the building and to our seats.

The day passed by quickly. English with Alice, Government with Jasper, Trigonometry with Jessica, who attempted to interrogate me on my relationship with Edward and talked about a girls-ask-boys dance coming up sometime in the next few weeks, and Spanish with Alice. Lunch wasn't all that special, but when Edward and I entered the Biology classroom everyone looked at us.

As soon as people began to stop looking at me for being new, they began looking at me again because I was dating Edward. What was next? Would I pass out in the middle of class?

At our lab table was a microscope and some slides of the phases of mitosis. Mr. Banner started the lab, and Edward suggested I look at the first slide. I did so, identifying it as anaphase, but he must not have believed me, because he said, "Can I check?" I slid the microscope over to him, and he confirmed that it was indeed anaphase. I smirked.

We finished the lab before anyone else. One group was bickering over which phase their last slide was, and another group was sneaking glances at a diagram in the textbook. Mr. Banner saw us not working, and came over to check our work.

"Don't you think Isabella should have had a turn with the microscope, Mr. Cullen? he asked.

"Actually, Bella identified three of the five phases." Edward replied, unconsciously correcting Mr. Banner's use of my full name. Mr. Banner nodded thoughtfully and walked away towards the group that was still fighting over the last phase.

When the bell rang, I wasn't too eager to leave Edward and go to gym, but I lived through last hour and rushed outside, where Edward was waiting for me. "Ready to go home, love?" he asked.

I smiled. He had just called me love. As in _my love?_ I knew he loved me, but hearing him say it like that made me feel better than I had in a long time. He extended his hand, and I took it as we walked back to his Volvo. Alice was waiting for us, standing in front of the passenger side door. Edward growled, and I glanced at him worriedly.

"Eric Yorkie's going to ask you to the dance tomorrow." she said as soon as I got into hearing range.

"Isn't it a Sadie Hawkins' dance?" I asked, confused as to why he would ask me when it was obvious that Edward and I were together. Was he blind?

"Yeah, but do you really think that would stop him?" she replied matter-of-factly.

I sighed. "No."

She smirked at me, walking over to where Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett were waiting by the Jeep. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at her and turned to Edward, who looked annoyed at Eric's audacity. "It's like I'm a new toy. Once the initial glow wears off, I'll just be the plain girl with the ghost past."

He looked me in the eye, and said, "You will _never_ be plain, Bella." I put a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes on my face, before turning away to climb into the car. He climbed in on the other side, and cranked the engine over.


	19. Avoiding the Unavoidable Again

**Sorry I couldn't update yesterday, I have a legitimate excuse, but sometimes I hate it when people make excuses. So I'm not going to either. Another scene that I remember from the movie used as a base in this chapter. Hehe. Oh, and Mike and Tyler kind of switch places on one aspect. Guess after you read. I feel evil after writing this chapter.**

**And I have a new story idea that I'm pretty sure no one has ever tried before. Once I'm done typing up this chapter, I'm going to see if anyone has used it, and I think it would be _majorly_-as my friend Shea would say-fun to use the idea. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I got the marshmallow bazooka back from Edward by the way...and he's kind of pissed. A little bit. Okay, a lot. I might have hit him with a cement block to get it back. And an inflatable duck named Roger. May the duck rest in peace.**

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"So, Bella...I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dance next Friday. You know, as my date?" Mike asked, oblivious to my obvious annoyance with the situation. Eric had asked me as soon as I had walked into first hour with Alice to go with him to the dance, and I had carefully declined, telling him I wasn't going, and if I was, it would be with Edward. Dancing was not a good idea for me, unless my partner happened to be an inhumanly graceful vampire.

Tyler had asked me during lunch, approaching my family's lunch table, taking the longer route in an attempt to avoid walking too close to any of my brothers. He worded his request much differently than I had expected, by saying, "Yo, Bella, you wanna come to the dance with me? I know it's a girls-ask-boys dance, but I figured it was worth a shot."

Tyler had actually been more truthful than Eric or Mike were. He knew he wasn't likely to get a yes for an answer, and he knew _I_ should be asking _him_. Although his weak attempt at bravado hadn't gone unnoticed, I declined once again. Tyler had still had enough audacity to steal Edward's chair from underneath him as he passed by, yelling, "My girl!" and dashing away with the chair.

So now here I was, sitting next to Edward at our lab table with Mike leaning on the edge of it, making puppy dog eyes at me and pushing me into the same predicament I had already been in twice today. I wasn't sure if his motto was 'Ignorance is bliss," or he just chose to pretend that Edward and I holding hands right in front of him meant nothing.

Either way, I was starting to get angry.

"Mike, aren't the girls supposed to ask the boys?" I said, my unenthusiastic response doing nothing to dampen his eagerness.

"Yeah, but when there are regular dances, girls ask boys, don't they? So I should be able to ask you."

I sighed. "I'm not going to the dance. Didn't you hear already?"

"Well, yeah, from Eric and Tyler. But I was hoping you were letting them down easy."

"You could try asking Jessica. I've heard she likes you." I said, deciding I didn't need to explain that me dancing wouldn't end well for anybody.

"Maybe I will. Besides, there's always prom." he replied, winking and walking to his seat.

I didn't look to see how Edward was doing, because I didn't want to know, but I did squeeze his hand underneath the table as Mr. Banner started his lecture for the class.

I didn't understand the motives of any of the people who had asked me to the dance. Perhaps they wanted to claim the shiny new toy. Maybe they didn't like anyone in particular, and had decided that I was someone new to try. Or maybe, in Tyler's case at least, they had wanted to get to know me.

_One date doesn't mean forever,_ I reminded myself. Although, I wouldn't know very well. I had never had a boyfriend before Edward, let alone a date or first kiss. And it felt like Edward was more than a boyfriend, although "destiny" and "soulmate" weren't exactly things used in casual conversation to describe your significant other.

The bell rang, the sharp buzz breaking me out of my thoughts. I stood to leave, gathering my books and following Edward out of the classroom.

We reached the house after only a few minutes, thanks to Edward's illegal driving, arriving just after everybody else. Carlisle was home early, and I could see his black car left in the driveway carelessly, as if something more important had come up than properly parking the car in the garage.

I watched Alice streak into the house, followed more slowly by Jasper. Edward rushed around the car to help me out of my seat, which I didn't need but gladly accepted. He looked tense. I didn't say anything, but he picked me up and ran to the house, running inside, where the T.V. was on a news channel.

The T.V. was never on. Here, it was only a prop. And I had never watched much, so I didn't use it. But it was on, and everybody was gathered in the living room tensely. Alice had her eyes glued to the screen, waiting for something.

Then the the woman on the screen said, "Damien Chace, abusive ex-foster father of Isabella Swan and ex-husband of Molly Fray, has escaped from jail."

I froze, as did everyone else in the room. The reporter continued, "Mr. Chace escaped sometime between 1:30 A.M. and 2 A.M. It is unknown if he was assisted in his escape, and how exactly the procedure was carried out. The following clip is from an anonymous source, and contains footage of his arrest."

The reporter's face disappeared, and was replaced by a video being taped across the street from Damien's house. There were two patrol cars parked in the gravel driveway, and one officer that I recognized as Nick was knocking on the door with a beefier officer behind him, his hand on his gun. The door opened, and a red-faced and extremely drunk Damien poked his head out.

He exchanged words with Nick, becoming more furious with every passing second. Nick motioned for him to step out of the house, and Damien tried to shut the door, but the second officer shoved his boot in the way. Grabbing Damien by the arm, he pulled him out of the house.

Damien tried to pull away, but in his drunken state, he wasn't as up-to-par as he would have liked to be in that situation. As the muscled officer pulled him towards one of the patrol cars, he began yelling, and we could see his mouth moving as some foul language was silenced by the news channel's techies.

"I'm going to get that...!" he yelled. "Do you hear me? I'm coming for you, you...!" The rest of his cries were silenced as he was stuffed inside the cruiser.

The video feed dissolved, showing the reporters face once again. "Any tips regarding the capture of Damien Chace would be highly appreciated, and can be called in to the hotline below." A phone number appeared at the bottom of the screen. Someone began reporting the weather for the rest of the week, but no one made a move to shut the television off.

I sat there, frozen in place. If Damien could somehow find me, I would be gone. Erased. He wouldn't hesitate to kill me. I was sure my family knew more than they were comfortable with at this point. They could try, but I doubted they could get to the scene before Damien did whatever he was going to do with me. Kidnap me, or kill me.

And even if Damien didn't get me? He had friends.

After the initial shock, everyone began yelling at once, while I remained silent. I couldn't talk. Couldn't move. Couldn't think. All function in my brain seemed to have shut down, except for the ability to think one thing.

_He's coming for me._


	20. Numb

**I bet you hate me for the cliffie, but I'm back with another chapter(kind of)! I just can't keep myself from using my ideas, even if I have them written down, my brain makes me turn them into a fanfic. So now ****_Teardrop Tattoo_**** is added to my arsenal. Shortest chapter ever. I might not be able to update again for a few days. And I still feel evil about that last chapter. Leave me a cookie!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own this dark red lipstick that makes me look ten years older than I really am. Damn you, lipstick.**

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I was numb. No telling how long it had been since the report, but everyone was still arguing. Their voices were softer, somehow, although now I could tell what they were saying. They seemed to be planning.

No matter what they came up with, it wouldn't help.

Edward seemed to be the most aggravated. He was yelling the loudest of anyone in the room. I wanted to comfort him, to tell him everything would be alright, but that would be a lie.

If I had been able to feel anything, I would have been terrified. As it was, I wasn't feeling all that great. All I wanted to do was slip into the comfortable embrace of sleep. Edward glanced at me, and immediately his expression became worried.

He said something to me, but I couldn't understand. I could only look at him. Rosalie was watching me too, and everybody else stopped bickering and turned to me. I didn't know why they were watching me, I hadn't done anything interesting. Were they waiting for me to say something? I wasn't sure anymore.

I could feel the fuzzy blackness of unconsciousness pulling at me, but I knew something was off. Why were they staring at me? I struggled against the haze for a moment before I remembered.

Damien.

I let go, relieved as I sunk into the blackness of unconsciousness.


	21. Afraid

**Short chapter, I know, but I need to get back into my groove. I'm back, even if you hate me for not updating! Cough-Lex-cough. And maybe squirtle...sorry! I would like to thank the people who reviewed while I was gone, even Lex, and anyone who is _still_ reading this. You and my boyfriend are the ones who make me happy! But mostly you guys...shhhh. What did you think of the last few chapters? Review!**

**Read chocolate1999's new fanfic, called _Pushed_! **

**P.S.- I was listening to Avril Lavigne's album Goodbye Lullaby while I was writing this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Whenever I hear something about domestic violence or abuse, I always think of Damien. And whenever I see a policeman, I think of the officers Bella met after she escaped the hellhole, Nick and Greg. I own Nick, Greg, and The Bastard, but any characters in the original Twilight Saga are not mine. No matter how much I wish they were.**

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I was awoken from my dreamless sleep slowly. I couldn't seem to come awake-but at the moment I didn't harbor any complaints. At first, I could feel myself becoming more alert, but I was immobile. I couldn't tell how much time had passed, but I could hear voices. One I recognized before the other as Edward's, and I soon realized the other belonged to Alice.

"What are we going to do? We can't let her anywhere without one of us-her protection is vital. Maybe-" I heard Edward start, before he was interrupted by Alice.

"I know, Edward, but I think having people around her will be enough protection. I doubt he would try to take her in front of witnesses. If he can even find her, that is."

"What better opportunity than if she is alone in the hallways? She has some classes where none of us are with her. Trigonometry and gym-what if she's walking out of the building, and-"

He suddenly stopped speaking, and I heard a quiet rustle. I could feel him leaning over me, and Alice paused for a moment, then said, "Twenty seconds. I wouldn't be surprised if she could hear us now."

"Bella, love? Can you hear me?" I could feel cold hands on either side of my face.

I struggled to open my eyes, finally breaking through the barrier that seemed to be holding them closed. I opened them to see Alice hovering nearby, and Edward was gazing concernedly into my eyes. The reality of the situation came rushing back to me, and I could feel my eyes widening as I remembered.

Edward seemed to sense what I was thinking, and he pulled me from the bed and into his arms. "Everything is going to be fine, love. We have everything under control."

"I don't think you understand-" I began, but Alice silenced me.

"Don't worry about it, Bella. We've got it covered-I have a pretty good idea of who we're dealing with."

Her eyes darkened for a moment, and I briefly wondered what she meant. After a moment, I decided it would do me no good to argue at the moment, and I would bring it up again later. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven o' clock. You were out for a good three hours," Rosalie said from the doorway where she was leaning, having appeared once she heard that I had woken up. From Edward's arms, which were more comfortable than the bed I had previously been laying in, I could see that I was in his room, instead of mine.

Carlisle and Esme came into the room, and Emmett appeared next to Rose. I suddenly blushed, realizing how much of a fuss I had made. Edward sat me on the edge of the bed, as if I couldn't stand. I was about to protest, but he begged me with his eyes to let him have his way, just this once, and he sat next to me, his arm snaking around my waist protectively.

There was no telling how long it would take Damien to find me, but it wouldn't be long. He wasn't stupid enough to go to the police station I had gone to, in the town he had lived; he would most likely talk to his contacts to find out where I was. He had people everywhere, some as young as me. In all of the big cities, and some in intervals in small towns-like Port Angeles and Forks.

I only wished I had taken more time to snoop, in my short time living with him.

I looked out the second-story window, as if I would see Damien watching me through it. I couldn't get rid of the feeling that I was being watched, like I had been found and he was just waiting to strike. I could feel a horrible ominousness in the atmosphere-and I was sure everyone else could feel it, too, although they had denied that Damien would ever get anywhere near me.

He would harm anybody standing in his way, and anybody he found was associated with me. Friends at school, like Angela Weber, the nice girl who never had anything derogatory to say about anybody. Mike, who, even if he was annoying sometimes, I wouldn't want harmed. If he saw me talking to them...

And exactly what Edward had said earlier-there were certain times during the day when I would be alone, albeit only a few minutes. Could I keep well enough aware of my surroundings during those times?

What could I do? I couldn't do anything. Against Damien, I was powerless. On my own, I would be fighting a losing fight. Even with my family, could I win?

That was a question that would be answered not too far into the future.


	22. Going Back and Fainting in Class

**Next chapter, because I love you all so much. Longer than any of the other ones. Anyone who has not read chapter 21 yet, please do. If not, you will probably be confused by this chapter. More than 200 reviews, and I have almost 24,000 hits! Let's get to 300 reviews before the story ends, ey? Which should be easy, since I'm only halfway done torturing you with this fanfic. MWAHAHAHAHAHA. Just kidding. But seriously, I'm only halfway done torturing you people.**

**I might do an Edward POV on this chapter. Review to tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, I still don't own Twilight, Happy Birthday to me! (P.S.~My birthday is in July, not March. I just have the song stuck in my head.)**

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I had skipped school on Friday, the main reason being stress. The weekend had been uneventful, gratefully. I was going to school today, and we had the blood typing lab in Biology. I wished Edward could be there, but the smell would be too strong for him. Hell, the smell would most likely be too strong for _me_.

I just hoped my classmates hadn't seen the report about Damien. I didn't think most of them watched the news as soon as they got home, but some of them might. I didn't know what their reactions would be-would they attempt to comfort me, or stay as far away from me as possible? I couldn't blame them if they went out of their way to stay away-I didn't want to be mixed up in this either.

I was walking to first hour with Alice and Edward. Edward had insisted on joining us, most likely overreacting after thinking about Damien snatching me in the hallways. I didn't need him with me since I had Alice, but I greatly appreciated his company.

I couldn't keep myself from looking over my shoulder every few seconds, and if Edward had pulled me any closer to himself he would be carrying me. Everyone in my family had agreed that Alice should be searching the future-except for me. I had tried to explain to them that it wouldn't be necessary, but I didn't tell them the reason for this was because it didn't matter.

Edward walked me to the door, and I think I saw him look in at Mr. Mason and give him a warning glare.

It was like that all day. When I was walking to Government, Jasper found me faster than was normal, and on the way to Spanish from Trig, Alice walked with me, instead of going straight to the Spanish classroom like she usually did.

On the way to lunch-other than the fact that some of the boys, like Mike and Tyler, were throwing snowballs-I held a binder in my hands just in case, even with Alice right next to me. Walking to Biology was the same, except Edward had taken Alice's place. I said goodbye to him at the door, and he slowly turned and walked towards the parking lot, where he would sit in his car and wait for the hour to end. He seemed like he almost wanted to stay with me, even if there would be human blood exposed during the class.

Something had to happen soon, something had to stop this. My family didn't deserve to be put under all of this stress, and all because of me. How long could we keep this up? Days? Weeks?

I took my seat, and only a few moments later, Mr. Banner started the class. He began explaining the lab, pulling out a lancet and a small white card. Walking over to Mike Newton, he stabbed Mike's finger with the lancet, and immediately I began to feel lightheaded.

I had known this might happen. Being around blood, for me, was like dancing. It never ended well. Mr. Banner started walking around the classroom, handing out more lancets and cards. I laid my head on the lab table, the cool surface doing almost nothing to help my nausea .

Mr. Banner reached my table, and I could tell he was concerned. "Are you okay, Bella?" he asked, putting the box of lab supplies on the table. "Are you feeling faint?"

"Yes, sir," I whispered.

"Can someone take Bella to the nurse?" he called into the room.

I knew Mike would be the one to volunteer. He helped me out of my seat, and I limped out of the building. I waited until we were out of sight of Mr. Banner's building before I let myself sink to the ground, and I laid my head on the sidewalk, hoping the coldness would soothe the dizziness. "Keep your hand in your pocket," I told Mike weakly.

I laid there for a moment, before I heard a voice I would recognize anywhere.

"Bella?!" Edward yelled frantically. I didn't know what I looked like, but I knew it wasn't good. I didn't move, in fear it would make me feel even worse, and I could hear him coming towards Mike and I.

"Is she hurt?" he asked, closer than before. "What's wrong?"

"I think she's fainted-I don't know why, she didn't even stick her finger." Mike explained.

"Bella," Edward said, relieved. He was right next to me. "Can you hear me?"

"No," I mumbled. "Go away." He laughed at me.

"I'm taking her to the nurse." Mike said, defensive.

"Doesn't look like it. I'll take her. You can go back to class." Edward retorted.

Suddenly, the sidewalk was gone from underneath me, and my eyes flew open to see Edward, who was now carrying me.

"Hey! I'm supposed to do it!" Mike protested from behind us. Edward just continued walking.

The motion of his walking wasn't helping me not throw up all over him, which I was painfully imagining at the moment. That also didn't help, and I closed my eyes so I didn't have to both feel it _and_ see it.

"Put me back on the sidewalk," I commanded, the weakness of my voice doing nothing to help me.

He just ignored me, and suddenly we were inside. I don't know how he got the door open while holding me, but he had done it before, so it wasn't that much of a wonder.

"Oh!" I heard the secretary, Ms. Cope, yell.

"They're blood typing in Biology." Edward told her, as if that was all the explanation she needed.

I could hear a door opening, and I opened my eyes again. The nurse, startled, watched Edward as he carried me across the room and placed me on the crackly white paper covering the cot. She didn't seem surprised that it was Edward, just that I looked like I was almost dead. I hadn't had much color to begin with, so I probably looked like a corpse.

"Blood typing," he told the nurse, who was holding a book that she had probably been reading when we had come in.

Apparently that _was_ the only explanation needed, because she nodded. "I always get one." Turning to me, she said, "It'll pass after a minute, honey, just stay there."

I sighed. "I know." The dizziness was almost gone-as soon as Mike and his bloody finger were gone, it had begun to fade.

"How often does this happen?" the nurse asked, sounding surprised.

"Whenever there's blood, really." I replied sheepishly.

The nurse looked at Edward, and looked like she was about to say something, but thought better of it. "I'll get some ice, dear." she said to me, before going into another room to the right of her desk.

Edward said, "I thought Newton was dragging you off to bury you in the woods."

"Dead or alive?" I replied. He didn't find it funny.

The nurse came back in with an ice pack and handed it to me, although I didn't need it anymore. There was just a little stirring in the pit of my stomach now, and I didn't feel like I was going to throw up.

I sat up, and the walls drifted a little to the right, but other than that and a little ringing in my ears, I seemed to be fine. She was about to say something when Ms. Cope poked her head into the room. "Incoming," she warned.

I gave the ice compress back to the nurse, and was about to jump down from the cot when Edward took me from the cot and put my feet on the floor. Probably a good idea, since I most likely wouldn't have been able to keep my balance had he not helped me.

His eyes widened. "Bella, go."

I turned just as Mike staggered in with Lee Stephens, another boy from Biology. Catching the door before it closed, I ran into the office with Edward just behind me. I blinked a few times to clear my head, which had been about to fog up again, and wrinkled my nose at the smell. "Ew." I said.

"What?" Edward asked, confused.

"I could smell the blood. That's what makes me nauseous."

"You can smell blood?"

"Yes. It smells like salt, and rust. Doesn't smell all that good to me." I added the 'to me' on at the end.

Mike came out of the nurse's office and walked up to me. "Are you sure you can't go to the beach with us this weekend?"

"Sorry Mike, but I can't. Like I said before, I already have plans." That, and the fact that it wouldn't be safe. Even if I would have gone before, my family wouldn't let me now.

"Alright, are you coming back to class?" he asked.

"I would have to come right back here." I replied.

"Well...I'll see you in gym, then?

"Sure," I said tiredly.

He turned and walked out of the office, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He was still trying, even after the whole school knew Edward and I were an item-even the _nurse_ knew. And I would have to face him again, in gym.

"Gym," I muttered. Not something I was looking forward to.

"Go sit and look sick," Edward whispered in my ear, obviously trying to help me get out of going to my seventh hour class.

I did as I was told, and I heard Edward talking to Ms. Cope. They had a short conversation that I tuned out, and soon Edward was asking me if I would walk or if he should carry me, with a sarcastic expression but a sincere tone, since Ms. Cope couldn't see his face..

"I think I'll walk," I said, relieved to be free of gym, and of Mike Newton for the rest of the day.

It was raining now, although only a light drizzle. We reached the Volvo and climbed in, and he turned the heat on for me.

"What do we do now?" I asked. "Just sit here until classes end?"

"I'm not sure. I think Esme would understand, but it might be safer here..."

There he went again, going off about my safety. How many times did I have to explain to them, for them to understand that it didn't matter where I was, or how many people were around me? Damien wasn't stupid enough to try something when I had my family around me-he probably knew who my family was already, and had seen Emmett. Another advantage for me was that they were overly defensive, so there was almost always someone with me. Even when they were hunting, they always left someone, who would hunt after they had all come back.

"Bella, I know this might be a personal question, but...what exactly happened to your parents?" Edward asked curiously.

"My parents..." I whispered. He deserved to know, after all the trouble and turmoil I had caused. I started to tell him, exactly as I remembered it.

_"Ooh! Bella, honey, do you want to go on that one with us?" my mom asked, pointing to a bright red roller coaster. There was a giant sign at the entrance that said _Cobra_._

_I didn't like to go on roller coasters. I wasn't scared of them, I was more scared at the prospect of getting sick, something I didn't enjoy. "Um...no thanks, mom. But you and dad can go on," I replied through a mouth full of cotton candy, eyeing my mom's hand, which was holding onto my dad's._

_She thought about it for a moment before conceding. "Alright, but you need to stay close."_

_"I'll sit over here," I said, walking over to a bench near the entrance and sitting down._

_They walked over to the gate, and were the last two to get on before the ride started. Sitting in their seats, they both waved at me._

_It was one of those rides that goes forwards the first time, then goes the same route, but backwards. They were at the end of line, the peak, and were about to go backwards when the section of coaster the cars were on shifted. I heard a scream, and my eyes met my mothers'. She mouthed the words, "I love you," before I looked away, terrified of seeing the rest._

Edward stared at me, dumbfounded. "Bella, I-" he started, before something hit the passenger side window of the car. I screamed, jumping and hitting my head on the ceiling. I looked at the window, and there was slush-probably from a slushball produced by the snow, and the rain from earlier. Edward was glaring at Mike, who I suspected was the culprit.

Normally, something like that wouldn't have scared me that much, but I was on edge. I had been on edge since last Thursday.

I had thought back on my parents' deaths, years later, and the incident reminded me of _Final Destination 4_. And it seemed like the way I was going to die-years later, just like the girl in the movie-was going to be Damien.

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**Review! Should I make an Edward's POV of this chapter?**


	23. The American Pastime

**Shortest chapter so far, sorry! If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, It's not going to happen in this chapter. I'm not sure if I should be sorry or not. Anyways, I have a poll on my profile, please vote! I like Alice's line about eating Bella in the books, so I used it. Hehe.**

**I recently realized that all I would have to do to make this story my own was to change a few names. Scary, isn't it?**

**Disclaimer: It's been awhile since Edward's said anything to me. I mean, he used to yell at me through the door, and sometimes he would slip papers underneath saying stuff like, "****_I'm coming for you_****" and "****_Can I have that TV back?", _****but other than that, he seems pretty content with the futon. That, and the satisfaction of knowing he murdered Roger. May the duck rest in peace.**

**He was just a young, inflatable duck.**

**He didn't have much luck.**

**He was killed by a vampire.**

**Who didn't have much luck.**

**May the duck, in the afterlife, have luck,**

**While the vampire gets run over by a truck.**

** Roger Duck~2012-2013;Married to Edna Duck~2012-2012**

**(I love Edward, but I loved Roger-*sniffle*-more.)**

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Another week had passed, and I was still living in fear. The days were no longer as enjoyable as they once had been-stuck in Limbo between my time with Damien, and my happier times with the Cullens.

Another Sunday, and nothing unusual was happening. All week I had been teased by Emmett for my swoon in Biology that Monday, and I hoped that his attention span wouldn't last another week-it seemed to be all he was focusing on.

Edward and I were in the living room along with everyone else, listening to Alice. Her search through the future for Damien had been fruitless, other than non-confirmations.

"-and there are a few flickers, but he hasn't decided what to do yet. From the visions, I can't tell if he knows where we are or not, although I don't think so. There aren't any specific places in the background."

Everyone drifted away slowly at the end of her speech, and Edward and I went upstairs to his room. I hadn't been in his room that much, since everyone tended to hang out downstairs. He sat on his bed, and I sat next to him, before he pulled me onto his lap.

I looked around the room for a moment before my gaze settled on row after row of CD's. I stood and took a few steps forward, extracting a familiar case from the shelves. "Clair de Lune?" I asked wondrously. "This has always been one of my favorites."

"You know Debussy?" Edward asked, surprised.

"Only my favorites," I replied sheepishly. "My mother used to play classical music around the house."

I put the case back, and turned around to see Edward standing, studying me curiously. His eyes narrowed, and a malicious grin played on his lips. He shifted into a crouch.

I narrowed my eyes. "You wouldn't."

I stepped to the side, he mimicked my movement, and I stepped in front of the couch. He crept forward, slowly, then pounced. I squealed in surprise before his body connected with mine. I could tell he was making sure I wouldn't get hurt, because he formed a protective cage around me as we landed on the couch, banging it against the wall.

We both unfolded ourselves, laughing, as Alice danced in with Jasper behind her. Edward shifted me to a more comfortable position on his lap as they came to stand in front of us.

"It sounded like you were having Bella for lunch, and we came to see if you would share," Alice announced.

"There isn't even enough for _me_," Edward replied.

Jasper cut in. "Alice saw a storm tonight, and Emmett, naturally..."

Edward laughed briefly. "Sure, as long as Bella wants to go." He looked at me questioningly with puppy-dog eyes.

"Even if I didn't want to go, Edward, I would probably make you. Although I have no idea what you're talking about." I said, smiling.

Alice flounced out of the room, turning in the direction of Carlisle's office. Jasper chuckled as he followed her out the door.

"What was that about?" I asked Edward when we were alone, although everyone could probably still hear us.

"Baseball," he said, grinning. "The American pastime."

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**Poll! Review! Cookies!**


	24. Baseball and A Close Call

**If you're still thinking what I think you're thinking, it's not going to happen in this chapter! Sorry, but Bella gets to be free a little longer. I'd say, oh...I don't know how many more chapters. I'll figure it out when I get there, but it's a ****_very_**** small number. I know I told a few people that James' coven wouldn't be in the story, but I figured they deserved at least one scene. Think of it like this: What would have happened if there hadn't been that gust of wind when everyone was in the baseball diamond. That, and the fact that Bella's blood is normal here. ALSO, if anyone is looking for a Beta, I'll do it! Pick me! Pick me! I need inspiration to write, and reading, writing, etc. helps. Also, I like reading stories with good grammar. LOL.**

**Really the only reason I haven't been updating daily is because I've been kind of lethargic lately. I blame myself totally, and I promise one day this weekend I'll get two chapters out. It probably won't be Saturday, because I have plans. But I'll try!**

**By the way, I really don't know all that much about baseball. Forgive me if I make any mistakes!**

**Disclaimer: The T.V. is gone. Gone, I say! LOL, but really. I can hear Looney Tunes music coming from the basement...**

* * *

We had come to a large clearing, larger than the normal size of a baseball diamond. But seeing Jasper zip around, marking bases far enough away from each other that I began to doubt that even _they_ could make it all the way around in one bat, I understood that they needed this much space to play.

I sat on a large, flat rock a couple yards away from the field, and watched while everyone took their positions. Alice ran to the pitcher's mound, while Jasper and Rosalie took their places in the field. Edward was up at bat first, and Esme would be playing catcher for the whole game.

"Call it as you see it," she told me.

There were a few times when it was hard to judge if someone was "in" or "out", but it was fun to watch. Emmett hit the ball the farthest, but Edward could run the fastest.

Rosalie hit the ball, and broke into a run. Emmett sprinted after the ball, catching it just as Rosalie passed second base. He threw the ball towards Esme, and I leaned forward, concentrating. Esme caught the ball about a millisecond before Rosalie slid home, and after a moment of indecision, I yelled, "Out!" Emmett whooped while Rose glared at him half-heartedly.

A few minutes passed, and Edward's team was winning so far. Carlisle had just hit the ball, and Edward and Emmett were both running for it. They jumped at the same time, and the sound of them hitting each other sounded like thunder. They both fell back to the ground, laughing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice stiffen. She gasped, and immediately Edward was at my side."What-" I began to ask, before everyone was around me. They surrounded me like they were guarding me. Edward was next to me, and I looked at him questioningly.

"Vampires. Three of them," he whispered.

"They were farther north, but they changed course when they heard our game." Alice said.

Edward rearranged my hair so it was hanging around my face. I looked at the ground, but slid my eyes up when I heard a rustle.

Three vampires emerged from the undergrowth. A dark-skinned one was in front of the other two, so he was probably the leader of the coven. Carlisle was in front of all of us, sending the same message. The tall woman behind the dark-skinned man had fiery red hair, and the shorter man behind him had greasy hair, pulled back into a ponytail.

They approached us, stopping when they were a few feet away. "I am Laurent," the dark-skinned man announced, "and these are Victoria and James." He pointed to each of them respectively. "We heard you playing, and we were wondering if you needed extra players."

Carlisle replied, "No, we were actually just finishing. My apologies."

"It is just one game, surely you could stay for a few minutes longer?"

"I'm sorry, but we really do need to get home."

Laurent looked confused. "Home?"

"Oh, yes," Carlisle replied. "We maintain a permanent residence near here."

"How do you manage that?"

Carlisle and Laurent continued their short conversation, and I spent those few minutes in the middle of the huddle. Edward had slipped his hand into mine after a few moments, and was squeezing it gently every few seconds.

Carlisle ended their conversation by saying, "We ask that you do not hunt in the area. We need to keep up appearances, and humans suddenly disappearing would not help that cause."

"Of course. We will travel for a while before hunting again-we just ate in Seattle. Perhaps we may see you again sometime?" Laurent replied, turning to leave. I shivered as he said, "We just ate in Seattle."

"Perhaps." Carlisle replied. Anyone who didn't know him wouldn't have noticed the slight distaste coloring his tone.

The man behind Laurent, James, was looking slightly uncomfortable, like there was something he wanted, but he was afraid to ask. He turned to go at the same time as Laurent, as did Victoria, and they walked slowly in the direction they had come from.

A little more than a minute after they were out of sight, everyone immediately broke out of their protective stances. I breathed a sigh of relief. Edward pulled me into his arms, and I relaxed, my face buried in his chest.

My life was going to hell in a handbasket. It had been going there for a while, but the process was speeding up now. I could practically hear the clock ticking in the background.

"That was...close." Emmett said, not joking for once.

"No kidding!" Rosalie yelled, sounding close to tears.

I turned around, still in Edward's arms, to see a look of anguish on Alice's face. "I should have seen that earlier. As soon as they changed direction." she said quietly.

"Don't blame yourself, Alice. It's not your fault. We can all go around playing the blame game, but there's really only one person at fault here." I reassured her.

And that person was me.


	25. Soon

**Look at the chapter title...this is making up for not updating all weekend. Time to show Damien how amazingly kickass Rose and Alice can be. Hehe. Some language...although, haven't you always wanted to cuss Damien out, too? Oh, and Bookwormac...you asked for it!**

**Disclaimer: I own...Bastard, Nick, Greg, That Drunk Guy, Neshaeida, and Melissa. Did you know my mom was the inspiration for Melissa? My mom's name is Melissa, too. If I owned Twilight, my inspiration for Mike would have been Cameron, that kid I mentioned in an earlier chapter when Bella was talking about her stalker. Sadly, that actually happened to me, except for getting expelled. Real Life Experiences+Twilight Characters=Good Story.**

* * *

After the close call in the clearing, nobody felt the need to finish the baseball game. After we were gathered in the living room for the second time that day, Alice had broken the silence by suggesting we go shopping, to "you know, keep our mind off things." Not my idea of a fun time, but it _would_ distract me for a while.

So there we were, walking through the mall with no plan and no purpose. I was willing to bet money the reason for this shopping trip was meant to benefit mostly Alice, who couldn't have been enjoying all of the recent drama.

We walked out of Hollister, and began strolling across the mall again. Naturally, Alice strolled faster than Rose and I, and was soon far ahead of us. We walked slowly, chatting animatedly.

Alice, who was about three stores in front of us at the moment, suddenly stopped and turned to face Rose and I, her eyes glazed. "Crap," Rose muttered, before we both sprinted to catch up with her. I stumbled, but caught myself before I could fall.

Thanks to Alice's quick reactions, anyone who didn't look to closely at her would think she was waiting for us to catch up. She was just coming out of her vision when we reached her. "We need to go. Now." she said, her eyes wide.

"What did you see?" I asked, bewildered.

"Come on!" she said, turning and running for the exit. Rosalie and I broke after her.

We all stopped as soon as we stepped out the door. There, in all his glory, stood Damien Chace.

"Rosalie," he said, nodding in her direction. "Alice." He had obviously been watching us for a while, if he knew their names. He turned to me, smiling maliciously.

"_Bitch_." he said mockingly.

"_Bastard_." I replied coolly, trying not to show the fear that was threatening to make itself known.

"It's been awhile."

"Not long enough, asswipe."

For a few seconds, he looked like he wanted to let out a scathing retort, but controlled himself. What had he been doing in his spare time, punching walls?

I crossed my arms, just noticing that Rosalie and Alice had taken up defensive positions around me. "What do you want, asshole?"

"Just to warn you. I'm watching you, bitch. And I'm waiting for my time to strike."

"And when will you have that moment?"

"Maybe you need more convincing." Damien glanced at Rosalie and Alice, and obviously not seeing them as a threat, he moved forward, his hand raised in the air as if he was going to hit me. I flinched, and immediately Rose rounded on him.

He certainly wasn't expecting a girl-much less a fashionable, beautiful, _blonde-haired_ woman-to punch him in the face. So, even if he had been fast enough to stop her, he wouldn't have been prepared to.

Her hit sent him back a few feet, and Alice appeared behind him, catching him and throwing him forwards. He tumbled to the ground, catching himself just in time and rolling onto one knee. He stood slowly, rubbing his jaw, his eyes narrowed. He turned to go, and his parting words were, "Soon, bitch."

As he disappeared into the shadows of the parking garage, I relaxed, though Alice and Rose stayed stiffly in their positions. I waited a moment, then turned in the opposite direction, towards Rosalie's car. I could hear their footsteps begin to follow mine after a few seconds.

We sat in the BMW,and Rosalie made no move to start the car. She turned to me, her eyes sad and furious at the same time.

"How long is soon?"


	26. Explosion

**I'm back! And nobody murdered me while I was sleeping last night, so I'm guessing you didn't hate the last chapter. I'm thinking about working on another fandom, too, but I'm not sure which one...ugh. Janet Evanovich? Teen Titans? House of Night? ANYWAYS...**

**3/14/13**

**Disclaimer: I don't know Bella. I don't know Edward(I wish). I don't own either one of them. I don't mean to cause harm, headaches, seizures, or any other form of a conniption. If either of the people this story is about would like to discuss future works, you know how to get in touch with me. Also, please don't sue me…I don't do well in jail and I have no money. Neither does Roger.**

* * *

"Is there any way we can keep this from him?" I asked. I wasn't too keen on telling Edward about Damien's recent actions, and the fact that he knew where I was, and was watching my every move. He would definitely overreact, and probably try to lock me in a closet.

"No. Even if we didn't tell him, eventually either Rose or I would think about it, and he would know. And then he would be even more mad than if we told him right away." Alice explained.

We pulled into the Cullens' driveway, and I hesitated in the car. I was stalling, I knew I was, but I wanted to delay the explosion for as long as possible. The boys came out of the house, undoubtedly to help us with the few bags we had, and Alice and Rosalie both got out of the car.

I hurried after them, not wanting one of them to attempt to explain the situation to Edward. It would be better if I did it myself.

In my scramble, the toe of my shoe got caught, and I pitched forward, landing in Edward's arms. He shifted me so he was holding me bridal style, and I wound my arms around his neck. "Haven't we done this before?" he joked, clearly amused.

It was true that it had happened before-once, before Edward and I had made our feelings about each other clear. And under almost all of the same circumstances. Except for one.

"Edward, I..." I looked at the ground. I didn't know how to explain to him what had happened, even though I had thought about it the whole ride home.

His expression became soft, all of the humor melting from his eyes. "What is it, Bella?"

I began to speak quickly and quietly, hoping it would help Edward stay calm. I omitted only the details that would have triggered an even worse reaction. "Damien was at the mall today. Alice had a vision, so we were leaving, but he was waiting for us outside. We handled it, and left. He said he was coming. Soon."

His eyes were dark, but I knew he wasn't thirsty-he had hunted just last night. I could feel the tension in the air. "He was probably only bluffing." I said hurriedly, trying desperately to diffuse the situation.

His eyes looked distant, like he was daydreaming. Then I realized-he was reading Alice and Rosalie's minds. My account of the story would undoubtedly have caused them to think about what had really happened.

It wasn't Edward who exploded. He simply set my feet gently on the ground, and said, "Get in the house." quietly, but forcefully. Then I began to argue. The person whom I least expected was the one to insist.

"Bella!" Emmett yelled. "Can't you see that we're trying to help you? We're only trying to keep you away from that man! I'm just as scared for you as you are, Bella!"

His outburst startled me. I stood there for a second, then began to walk towards the house, zombie-like. I entered the house as quietly as possible, and went up to my room, closing and locking the door behind me. I never locked-or even _closed_- the door, but I needed to think alone.

I hadn't meant to cause drama, although my life was like a never-ending soap opera. Maybe if I stayed silent and out of the way, everyone would benefit. I wouldn't be the cause of disruption, and I wouldn't be in anyone else's path. And maybe Damien would forget about me if I stayed low for a while.

In one of my old schools, I had gone through a short gothic phase, where I had barely ever spoken. I had worn black, and straightened my hair to perfection, putting on heavy makeup. At the time, that was what I had thought a goth would be like, although now I knew that wasn't true at all.

Maybe, for a little while, I could stay under the radar and out of sight. I could only hope Damien would become bored with his games and our little back-and-forth dance.

But then, I hadn't known what Damien had in store for me.

* * *

**Small cliffie-ish thing. Like the dramatic irony? Hehe ;) Leave a review cookie on the table!**


	27. Lockdown

**I AM ALIVE! If my writing sounds depressed, sorry! I have excuses...my cat ate my happiness.**

**Disclaimer: Edward is still in the basement. Is it weird if I can hear him watching ****_Big Bang Theory_**** down there? I have the theme song memorized...and so does he.**

* * *

Edward had his hand at the small of my back, guiding me towards the English building. I didn't say anything, or tell him it was unnecessary since he would be standing right next to me anyways, and he would undoubtedly be stronger and faster than anyone who decided that now was a good time.

He watched me go inside, and I took my seat next to Alice, who had arrived earlier than Edward and I.

Ever since the day we had seen that news report, time seemed to go by more slowly, like a clock that was becoming more lethargic each day. Sooner or later, either someone would fix the clock, or the clock would stop.

English seemed to take longer than normal, even with Alice sitting next to me and attempting to make covert small talk.

"Can you believe the shoes Lauren is wearing today?" she asked me, not really expecting an answer.

History with Jasper picked up a little, even though we had a terms quiz. I was walking to Trigonometry when I saw him.

He wasn't especially _anything_-he was a man made to be unnoticed. He looked young enough to be a student, with a boyish face and spiked-up hair, and his lack of height wasn't helping him look like an adult, either. I had seen him before, multiple times. And the most recent time was at the mall with Alice and Rosalie-the same day Damien had been waiting for us. The man was always near Damien.

It felt like I was walking in slow-motion as we passed, right next to each other, on the walkway. He looked me straight in the eye as he brushed by me, pointing at me with his thumb pointing up to look like a gun. _Bang_, he mouthed. And he walked away.

The scary thing was, I had no doubt he was capable of doing just that.

Damien was losing patience. He was being less careful now, and he wasn't wasting any time out in the open with pleasantries.

I took my seat in Trigonometry. A few minutes into the class, there was a beep, signaling an announcement over the PA system. "Attention, students and teachers, we are going into lockdown. Follow the designated procedures, and remain calm. We are going into lockdown." Another beep signaled the end of the announcement.

You know that feeling that you get when you have a fire drill, or the announcements come on and say you're on lockdown, and for a few seconds you think it might actually be real, and it's not just a drill? That's exactly how I felt, but the feeling lasted a lot longer than three seconds.

Mr. Varner herded everyone to the space directly in front of the door, where anyone looking in from the outside wouldn't be able to see us, and went around the room, closing the blinds on all the windows. We sat quietly for about thirty seconds, before the phone rang.

Mr. Varner picked up the phone, and after a short pause, said, "All here." Another short silence, and he said, "I understand. Thank you." He hung up, and joined us near the door.

Jessica Stanley opened her mouth like she wanted to ask Mr. Varner something, but quickly shut it when we heard the footsteps. I knew what Jessica had been going to ask him. And I knew the answer. _This isn't a drill._

The sound of heavy boots hitting the cement walkway just a few feet away from where we sat, coming closer.

Just outside the door, the sound stopped. Whoever had induced the lockdown was probably looking through the small window that seemed to be set in every door at every school.

No one moved. No one breathed. No one blinked.

After what seemed like an eternity, the footsteps moved on. I quietly let out a breath that I hadn't even realized I was holding. We all relaxed slightly, even though the lockdown was far from over.

Not for another two hours, actually.

When they finally told us the lockdown was done, I had a cramp in my ass, and it was all I could do to get back on my feet, before they came over announcement to tell us we were all going home early. I couldn't hear the reason over everyone cheering, but it was pretty obvious what the reason could be.

As soon as Mr. Varner let me leave, I ran to the parking lot, where Edward was waiting for me. I ran into his arms, and he held me while I cried. This was going to end soon-I could feel it. But how many more times could something like this happen? I was putting everybody in danger just by being here...just by being me.


	28. Captured

**Sorry about getting a little behind on updates. Okay, a smidge. Well, a lot. Did you like that last chapter? Hehe. Leave me a cookie!**

**Happy (late)Easter everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I've always wanted to go skydiving. Anybody else? And bungee jumping...and surfing. Sadly, I probably will never get to do any of those things. Just like I will never own Twilight. Sigh.**

* * *

Less time. Every second was counting down.

_Tick._

_Tick._

_Tick._

How much longer could he possibly wait? I would only become more and more nervous, and my family would only become more and more alert.

Edward and I were on the couch, and Emmett and Jasper were playing another game-a desperate attempt at normalcy. We had just been reminded how _not_ normal everything was when Alice couldn't take me shopping(thank you, Edward), because Alice and Rosalie "wouldn't be able to protect me if need be."

I wish I didn't need protecting.

Jasper pitched a grenade into a building on-screen, and I couldn't help but think that I was one of those people in that building-a sitting duck. Sitting here, doing nothing, wasn't helping anything.

Suddenly, I stood from my seat next to Edward. "I need to take a walk," I said.

"I'll go with you." Edward announced.

I needed to think, and I had to be alone. I couldn't have distractions-even if they would be welcome under different circumstances.

As I walked out the door, I turned to Edward, putting my hand on his chest. "I need to do this alone." I said quietly.

"Bella, he-"

"Edward, I can't do this anymore-I can't live like this forever. I need to think."

He hesitated, his eyes pained, then said, "Alright, love. Don't go far."

"I won't, I promise. I love you." I said, turning away. I didn't hear his reply.

I walked quickly through the trees near the house, glancing over my shoulder every once in a while. If Damien knew when we would be at the mall, he definitely knew where I lived. And he would either have people watching the house, or he would be watching it himself.

Once I judged I had gone far enough, I laid against a tree and slid to the ground. I knew I was safe here-my family could hear me if I yelled loudly enough, even if Damien didn't know that.

Maybe I shouldn't hide anymore. I wasn't gaining anything by living like this, and I felt like a coward. Maybe getting it over with was the best idea-after all, I was barely living at the moment anyways.

"Isabella."

I looked up to see Damien standing over me. I shouldn't have come. My exchange with Edward had felt much too ominous, as if it would be my last time talking to him. Somehow, I knew this would happen. But now that it had, it felt right. Like this was _supposed_ to happen. Which creeped me out even more than the fact that Damien was standing two feet away, looking down at me.

"Chace." I replied frostily.

"What are you doing out here in the woods, all alone?"

"I could ask you the same."

"I'm not alone." he answered, smiling.

Of course he would have as many people as possible surrounding us. It wasn't that he thought I might beat him in a fight-it was a show. He was trying to impress me. Of course, it also meant I couldn't make a run for it.

But did I _want_ to make a run for it?

No. I didn't. But I wasn't going to let him take me without a fight. When he reached for my arm, I sidestepped and slapped him. He blinked once, his hand still hanging in the air, then turned slowly and lunged for me.

Pinning me to the ground, he said mockingly, "Why don't you yell for your _family_?"

"Good idea," I said, landing a punch, and possibly breaking his nose. "But I'd rather not."

He fell back for a moment, confused. I was grabbed from behind, and I struggled to break free. Slowly, he stood. "Let's go."

The person holding me pushed me forward, and I was hoping that the thing being held to the back of my neck wasn't a gun. We were walking through the woods, in a direction parallel to the house. Soon enough we came to the edge of the woods, and a familiar black car was waiting for us.

If you think about my situation, it was a drastic change. It went from a walk in the woods, to being guided at gunpoint through the forest by one of Damien's cronies. And I was starting to think maybe Damien wouldn't resort to skin only. After all, this guy had a gun. Who knows what Damien could do?


	29. Damien's Story

**I apologize for not updating in awhile, but I received a rather hurtful review-even if it was directed at my writing, and not myself. To the person who left that review-I'm sure if you reread the last chapter, you will see Bella's reasoning. Would you like to live like that for the rest of your life? And please, no swearing in the reviews unless it is _ecstatic_ swearing.**

**I recently got a perfect score on a test that was _very_ important to me(Have you guys ever heard of NYSSMA?), and it inspired me to write again along with the fact that I was letting you guys down. I apologize for the bad timing of my depression.**

**Please review, and tell me what you think of my first chapter since my(this is painfully embarrassing, to be admitting this)hiatus. ***ALSO, I need to pick your brains for a moment. Should Damien be different this time? As in, should he try to be romantic with Bella just because he knows she hates it? Or should he just do what I'm specifically planning?*****

**We hit 300 reviews. Thank you :)**

**Disclaimer: My parents say that when I'm famous(either as a writer or a singer) I have to send them money so they can buy pretty cars. Too bad I will most likely never be a writer like Stephenie over here, who makes ****_plenty_**** of money from Twilight.**

* * *

Although the interior of the car was dim, I could just make out Damien's face. His nose was slightly upturned, and there were already bruises forming around his eyes. I definitely gave him a broken nose.

I would probably regret that later.

"What is so important about me, Damien? That you needed to escape from jail, and abduct me? That you needed to do anything at all? How did this start? I can't imagine your wife would have married you, if you had beat her in the first place." I asked, hoping vainly that he was one of those people who explained their whole master plan once they captured the damsel in distress.

His eyes softened for a moment, as if he was remembering a better time. Then, just as suddenly, his gaze turned back into the stone-cold glare I was used to.

"Why do I have to have a reason?" he said, smiling mockingly.

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to tell me, just like I knew he wanted to.

He sighed, his eyes becoming soft once more. "Dolly. She was the kindest, most caring person I ever met. She didn't care about my imperfections." He looked up at me for a moment, then back down to the floor. I wondered what was so interesting about his shoes. "I wasn't always like this, you know."

I sat there for a moment, stunned and unmoving. He was actually opening up to me. Of all the people...

"I proposed to her on our one-year anniversary. I took her to the place we met. We were married exactly six moths later, to the day." He continued. "We both wanted children-but later, we found out it would be almost impossible for her to get pregnant, let alone keep the child for nine months. But we still tried."

He kept his gaze at his feet, his voice becoming harder with each word.

"Then, we found out she was pregnant. She was fine for the first few months, but one night, we both woke up to find she had had a miscarriage."

There were tears at the corners of his eyes now, and he seemed to be reliving the memory in his head.

"I blamed myself. If I had just said-"

Tears were streaming down his face now. I almost reached out to comfort him, despite everything he had done to me, when suddenly, he looked up, glaring at me. I shrank as far away from him as my seat would allow.

"I was angry at everybody. At Dolly, for not saying anything. At people we would see walking down the street with their children, because they had something Dolly and I could never have. At the children themselves, because they _were_ what Dolly and I couldn't have."

I met his gaze evenly, having returned to my former position on the seat. We stared at each other for a few seconds, neither of us blinking, both of us unwilling to break the silence before the other.

"And now _you. _Would it hurt for just one other person to feel the pain Dolly and I felt?"

_Yes. A lot, _I thought, wincing.

"And that's where you come in," he said, his malicious smile back in place. "Do you know how I feel yet? Or do you think we need a little more time together?"

"I think I need a vacation."


	30. This Isn't My Home

**Okay, I'm happy again! Although that might be because I've been doing a Fanfic about stereotypes and cliches and Mary Sues. And stuff. Check it out! _Faux-Paus and No-Paus._**

**Okay, that's enough self-promotion for one chapter.**

**We've hit 50, 000 views! I'm thinking about sending out a PM to everyone who has reviewed my story(ever) so they know I'm back. Would that be a good idea, or would it just annoy too many people? **

**Disclaimer: Okay, so I'm walking around in a store trying to find the right kind of cereal, when I look up. And see a sign. On the ceiling. It reads: "Warning. Do not walk on ceiling."**

**My first thought is, "How the hell did they get that up there?"**

**My second though is, "Hey, I found my cereal!"**

**My third thought is, "How the hell am I supposed to get up to the ceiling so I can walk on it?"**

**Because I have a strong addiction to breaking the rules. ****Yes, I own Twilight.**

**Just kidding! Jeez!**

* * *

We pulled up to a building that looked like warehouse. There was no telling where he got the building-perhaps he had owned it the whole time, perhaps he was borrowing it from one of his special "friends".

Who knows, maybe he got it _just _for _me_.

I debated briefly the possible outcomes of an attempted escape once the car stopped-or even before-but decided I had no chance. I could quickly be outrun.

Or they could just shoot me.

I obediently climbed out of the car, and waited for Damien's henchman to come around and "escort" me.

"Go," the man said, suddenly appearing at my side. He pushed me in the back with what I was now _sure_ was a gun to propel me in the right direction.

We came to the door, and Damien's cronie fished around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a key. He inserted it into the keyhole and turned, a dull click meeting my ears as the door unlocked. He pushed me in roughly, and I stumbled inside.

The room was completely barren, save for a dirty mattress in the corner, and a door directly across from me that ked to an unknown location.

I turned around as the man slammed the door shut, and another quiet click sounded, telling me that the door was locked once again.

Having nothing better to do, I turned back around to begin the exploration of my prison.

I walked over to my mattress, and kicked it. A cloud of dust drifted out of it, hanging in the air. Walking over to the door I had identified a few moments ago, I put my ear up to the cool metal. Nothing. Whatever was on the other side was either inactive at the moment, or completely silent, as far as I could tell.

I pulled my face back from the door, and tried the knob. It turned slightly, but jarred. Locked-but should I really have expected anything else?

I walked slowly back over to the mattress so I could contemplate my new predicament. I had just sat down when I heard voices. Another dull click, and the door was unlocked.

"So," Damien said, walking in and shutting the door behind him, not bothering to lock it. "How do you like your new home?"

"This isn't my home. And it _never _will be." I growled, my anger suddenly returning with a vengeance.

He laughed coldly. "I think you'll be singing a different tune in a few months, _Miss Cullen_." He sneered.

I blanched. A few months? _Surely_ he wouldn't keep me that long. He couldn't. The police would be searching, after my family alerted them of my sudden disappearance. If they could find this place, there would be evidence of what Damien had done, no matter what state I was in.

Had they even noticed I had disappeared yet?

When would they come?

Would they come at all?

Yes, they would. I was sure of that-I would not let my doubts be my downfall at the hands of Damien Chace.

All of this, whether my questions could be answered or not, was Damien's fault.

I stood from where I had been seated on the dusty mattress, anger flashing in my eyes. "What makes you so sure I'll be here that long?"

"Do you _still_ think they're going to come for you? The only reason they took you in in the first place was out of pity. They took you in because of _me."_

_"_No, I don't think they'll come for me-I _know _they will. And maybe they did pity me at first, but you know what? _They_ love me. _They_ are my family, more than you _ever_ were!"_  
_

That pushed him over the edge. He grabbed my hair and pulled up, my feet nearly leaving the ground. He spoke softly into my ear as my face contorted in pain.

"Remember this-I was your father before Carlisle Cullen was."

He released his grip, effectively dumping me on the hard, concrete floor, and turned, walking away from me and towards the door. Once he closed and locked the door behind him, I crawled back over to my mattress and fell into a deep, troubled sleep.


	31. Waiting

**My computer was broken, which actually pissed me off. A lot. I mean, I start writing again, and my computer goes and breaks itself? Yay! Let's make it look like the bloody author abandoned her readers again! Should be fun! Anyways, it's fixed now(after I got someone else to fix it, of course), so the show must go on!**

**IMPORTANT: I never typed up the ending of the last chapter. It may be partially confusing if you haven't read the part I added, since it's Damien and Bella's most important argument. Go read the new ending of the last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Why do I even write anything after that word? Just "Disclaimer" should be enough, shouldn't it? Anyways, I don't own Twilight.(Stephenie, if you are reading this, hats off to you for writing the story this is based on. Do I meet your standards? No? Oh well, I no longer accept depressing comments anyways. Sorry!)**

* * *

Would it be safe to say I slept, if I was neither rested nor refreshed?

Or that I thought, when I came to no conclusions?

I had time for both of these things. Plenty of it.

Damien hadn't come yet the next day-perhaps he was too busy for a visit, but for this, I was grateful. Another visit would mean another argument, and I could practically feel my hair turning grey, underneath the layer of dust that had already settled on it.

As far as I could tell, there were no people within miles of my little prison and I. There was most likely a guard outside the main door, but if there was, I had seen neither hide nor hair of him.

I had already counted the cracks in the ceiling, and the bricks in the walls. I could think of nothing better to do, so I got up, walked to the center of the room, and dropped down to do some pushups. If I was going to escape, I would do nothing for myself by not being in shape when I had the opportunity.

After too many push-ups, and _way_ too many sit-ups, I sank back down onto my mattress, satisfied with the amount of exercise I had done. There was nothing else to occupy my time, so I stared blankly at the wall across from me.

Something flashed in my peripheral vision. I couldn't tell what it was from my position, so I crawled over to inspect it.

A pen?

It was silver, and had the words, "CHACE AND CATCH-WE CONVINCE THEM FOR YOU" written in a plain, black script. Unless Damien had the pen as a novelty, because of his last name being the same as one of the names on the pen, it was probably an advertisement for his company-wherever he worked.

Was "Chace and Catch" a play on words, or a complete convenience, considering he could have found somebody with the last name Smith even more easily?

It sounded more like a gang motto than a law firm motto.

I knew the pen would write(however messily) on concrete, so I turned to the wall next to me and scribbled. Black ink came out to form a messy jumble of lines.

I didn't know what the pen could do for me, but I hid it under my mattress anyways, and resumed staring blankly at the wall across from me. How long had I been here already? One day? Two? And what could I do to get out, since there was no telling how long it would take my family to find me?

I could make a run for the door, since Damien always left it unlocked when he came in. But I would have to get past him first, which was near impossible. And what of the guard, if I did manage to get past Damien? He could have the world's strongest man out there guarding my door, and I wouldn't even know.

Even if I _did_ get past _both _of those people, what then? If I walked away from the building, I would be lost in the middle of an unfamiliar forest with no idea where I was and no sense of which direction I was heading in.

Was it too soon to hope for a miracle?

Maybe. But I could hope anyways, no matter how foolish it was.

"Hope..." I whispered. Hope was what I needed-really, hope was what everyone needed.

So I pulled the pen out from its temporary residence, turned to face the concrete wall at my side, and began writing.


	32. Nevermore

**You're all going to love me for this chapter. My heart was beating a little too fast for my liking while I was typing it. Anyways, my finger is currently wrapped in multiple layers of Band-Aids(an accident with an Exacto-knife), so please excuse any typos you may find.**

**By the way, I'm shooting for 35 chapters or less with this. So if you happen to be getting tired of the story, you'll only have to bear with me for a few more chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I no own Twilight! You no own Twilight! We no own Twilight! Only Stephenie own Twilight!**

* * *

I couldn't stop thinking. It was the only thing to do. Sometimes my thoughts turned down happy roads, only to be turned back by a black thought or two. So I tried not to think of happier times or places, or the people that made them that way.

I had remembered, as accurately as I could, how long I had been in my prison. It wasn't a happy thought-something I was becoming quite accustomed to.

I had been here for two and a half days, so far. It was my second full day. I had been here for half of a day when I was first brought here in that black car, then yesterday, and now today. As far as I could tell, from the dim light filtering through the thick layer of dust on the tiny window above my head, it was sometime around noon.

Seeing as I hadn't had a thing to eat for two days, except a dirty, crudely made sandwich that I had no choice but to eat (if I wanted to die by any other means than starvation, that is), I was terribly hungry. A water bottle had been thrown into my room yesterday by a scarred, tanned hand. I was hoping Damien wouldn't came again today, but seeing as he hadn't come yesterday, I guessed he would have to release his energy eventually.

As if on cue, the lock clicked, and the door was pushed open.

"Hello, Isabella." he spoke before he even walked into the room-but where else would I be, really?

I said nothing.

He swaggered into the room, stopping a few feet away from me, grinning maliciously. "Have you learned your lesson yet? Or do we need to spend more time together?"

There wasn't really an appropriate answer for that question, so I stayed silent, watching him. He advanced, taking a few steps forward, his breath warm and sticky against my face. "I asked you a question."

"I think it's about time _you_ learn _your_ lesson." I replied calmly, gesturing to the wall beside us. He turned to look at the wall, and I followed suit.

I had written my mind out on that wall. Multiple hours and a few hand cramps later, and I had been done. Everything that had happened to me, including my parents' deaths, and what it had done to me. The last few sentences were the most important part. They told Damien what I really thought about him-how badly he had treated me, and how his words had affected me. How much I wished he had been a good father.

The truth may have hurt him, but I wasn't going to sugarcoat it. How long had I been suffering because of him? Had it really been only months? It felt like forever.

He turned on me, anger taking over his features. Without a word, he lunged for me, grabbing my wrist. I heard something crack, and I almost screamed in pain.

He wasn't holding back this time. Good thing he didn't have a gun.

He let go of my wrist, grinning satisfactorily, his fists resting at his sides.

Without thinking, I took the opportunity.

I took a step forward, kneed him where the sun don't shine, and watched him go down. I took the liberty of breaking his nose again with the arm with the unbroken wrist, for good measure.

I stood, breathing hard and cradling my wrist, next to his unconscious figure on the hard floor. I heard a scuffle and some yelling outside, and straightened out, my eyes wide in fear. Could the guard be coming? If Damien woke up before I had a chance to escape, after what I had just done to him...it _wouldn't_ end well.

The door burst open, banging against the wall, and I tensed, rigid. Emmett rushed into the room, stopping when he saw me. "Bella," he whispered in awe. "We found you."

Edward must have heard him, either in his thoughts or aloud, because he appeared in front of me, his hands on my shoulders. "Bella." he said, as if I wasn't real, and could disappear at any moment. I relaxed infinitesimally.

"Edward." I said, in quiet reverence.

His gaze flickered to something behind me, and he let go of me for a moment, disappearing and reappearing next to Damien. He had woken up behind us during our quiet exchange, and was shooting daggers at me with his eyes, giving me the impression that he wasn't done with me yet.

Edward quickly did something to him that made him slump back to the ground. He said, "We'll take care of him later, Emmett."

I was tired. So tired.

The last thing I saw before I passed out was Carlisle running in, his mouth moving as if he was yelling something that I couldn't hear.

And then the world turned black.


	33. Awaken

**I am sorry to say that I may be unable to update for an indefinite amount of time after June 6th-I'll be moving, so the internet/cable will be off. Then I have to get everything set up at my new house, blah, blah, blah. So, don't think of it as a hiatus, think of it as more of a sabbitical for an undetermined amount of time.**

**Leave me a review cookie? Pretty please?**

**Disclaimer: This disavowal of ****_any_**** rights to Twilight, that the author may have been thought to possess, procures an outcome that is positive for the defendant if it is declared that she must go to court. Said author renunciates any claim to any aspect of Twilight. This dissociation takes effect immediately.**

* * *

A cool hand resting in mine. A cool hand on my cheek. A cool hand, reminding me that I had a world to come back to, that I was alive. I struggled to beat away the suffocating darkness, determined to come away from the oppressing blackness in my mind.

The weights lifted, and my eyes opened to an unsettlingly bright light, and past that, a frighteningly white, sterile ceiling. A fuzzy, recurring beep, becoming more clear by the second. And that same cold hand, the one that had brought me out of my temporary rest.

"Love?"

I turned my head slightly on the smooth pillow, only to see Edward at my side, his chin resting just inches away, on the edge of my pillow.

"Thank you," I said. He would know what I was talking about.

His eyebrows drew together in consternation. "I could have been too late. When you passed out like that, right in front of me..." he said distractedly.

"I'm fine, Edward. Now, at least." I insisted. "How...how did you find me?" I said, my tone changing from assertive to questioning.

He raised his head from the pillow, and stared at his lap for a moment, trying to keep his emotions under control.

"Alice. She had a vision. It showed her enough to see the building...but not how to get there. Then she had another vision, about half an hour before we found you. It showed her the route from where he was staying, to where you were.

"We couldn't follow your scent-it had disappeared a few hundred yards away from the house. We assumed he had taken you by car from there."

I looked away from him for a moment, unable to meet his gaze. That's when I noticed my arm.

My wrist was wrapped in a cast-deep blue, undoubtedly Alice's choice, seeing as she thought that it was _my_ color. The cast had been signed by my whole family, including Carlisle and Esme. Edward's name had a tiny heart next to it.

"What happened to Damien?" I asked.

"After Carlisle and I left to bring you here, Emmett and Jasper took care of him."

I blew out a relieved sigh. "And what will we tell everyone?"

It seemed like the most important question at the moment-how were we going to explain all of this, without telling my life story to everybody? It wasn't a tale I particularly wished to share with the rest of the world, and one that would only gather pity, attention, and stares-none of them something I was particularly excited about at the moment.

"The most believable story would probably be that you fell down the stairs," he said, brushing his hand softly against the side of my face. The beeping from the heart monitor sped up.

I felt heat rush to my face. "That's going to be embarrassing later." I said sheepishly.

He looked down at me for a moment, grinning. "I wonder..."

He leaned down, barely brushing my lips with his. The insistent beeping accelerated, and he leaned back again, chuckling softly to himself.

"Hey," I protested. "I wasn't done kissing you yet. Don't make me come over there."

In that moment, any traces of concern left on his face vanished in his mirth, and he laughed boisterously. It was nice to see him relax, in who-knows how long. Just as we could _all_ relax, now.

Emmett entered the room at that moment. "What's so funny?"

Rosalie came in as Emmett hugged me gently-most likely afraid of hurting me-and she was quickly followed in by Alice and Jasper. Esme and Carlisle followed _them_ in, and they all gathered around my hospital bed. They seemed relieved-although I couldn't tell if that was left over from when they had found me, or because I was awake.

"Wait," I said. "How long have I been out?"

Carlisle answered my question. "About fourteen hours, now."

"I was afraid that...that we were too late," Rosalie said suddenly, her voice thick. "When you passed out like that, and then when you weren't waking up..."

"Rose," I said, smiling at her. "I'm here, aren't I? And we're all together. Nothing is going to change, any time soon."

At least, not if I had anything to say about it. Damien was gone, and there weren't any outstanding threats.

I was ready to go home and take a nap. A long one. And in the morning, I would get up and go to school like nothing had ever happened, like I was a normal person, my broken wrist being the only reminder of what had happened. And, eventually, even that would go away.

I had a new life, now; and I was ready to live it for all it was worth.


	34. A Sense of Normalcy

**I'll be impressed if anyone can remember this far back, but can any of you spot the reference to another chapter? Maybe I'll write a sequel, maybe I won't-perhaps I'll even write my own version of New Moon. Only time will tell.**

**This is a short one-the final chapter of _Temporary Residence_.**

**Disclaimer: It makes me really sad, to say that this is the final disclaimer in TR. I renounce any claims on Twilight. All I have is this ruddy brownie. I'm going to go cry now.**

* * *

Emmett and Jasper were playing video games again, arguing over who was going to kill who. Rosalie and Alice were upstairs, most likely plotting my demise-I never planned on death-by-makeover, but oh well. Edward was sitting on the couch, and I was sitting on Edward, while Carlisle and Esme bemusedly watched Jasper and Emmett duel from the other end of the couch-they could have been sitting closer, but the illusion of privacy was nice.

"I'm winning-there's no way you can beat me!"

"I don't even have to try, it's going to happen anyways!"

I had been discharged from the hospital with only a broken wrist and a giant bottle of Ibuprofen pills. I didn't really need them, but Edward insisted that I take them-always worrying about me.

So now there was a giant bottle of Ibuprofen pills in my bathroom.

I had only missed a few days of school-part of the crisis had been over the weekend-and now it was just another normal Sunday in the life of Isabella Cullen. If _any_ of my Sundays were normal.

Explaining the absence was easy-just tell them I fell down the stairs, and I was kept home for a few days. The broken wrist reinforced my rationalizing, even if they didn't know it was broken for an entirely different reason. They didn't need to know.

Suddenly, Emmett let out a loud yell, standing up and walking a few steps away, ending up next to Edward and I, and Jasper pumped a fist in the air, yelling, "Yes!"

Rose and Alice trooped down the stairs at that moment, Rosalie going over to comfort Emmett, and Alice hugging Jasper for no apparent reason other than he won, and Emmett lost.

Jasper sat down in between Carlisle and Edward, and Alice sat on his lap, smiling. Well, now that we were all gathered together...

"Guys," I said, looking each of them in the eye. "I'd just like to thank you for everything. I can't even begin to name every time one of you has helped me, and-"

"Bella!" Alice scolded. "We appreciate the effort, really, but there's no need to thank us-anything we did was of our own choice, and we didn't sacrifice anything."

Emmett was laughing loudly. "To see that little pixie yell at you, Bella-"

"I am _not_ a pixie!"

"Bella, this is why we all love you!" Emmett continued, once he had stopped laughing from Alice's comment.

I grinned. "Is that the only reason?"

Everyone laughed, and Edward kissed me firmly.

No, I would never forget what had happened. But I wouldn't remember all the bad parts. I would remember everything good that had happened because of it.

Ever since I was 13, my life had been filled with turmoil. I could never really settle down anywhere because of it, I could never really feel comfortable. But one thing I had learned, since becoming a part of this family, was that I could be accepted. My fears were gone-I wasn't going anywhere, not for a long time.

I had a reason to live.

This house, this family-this was no longer my Temporary Residence.

This was my home.


End file.
